Kodiak Island Borough Assembly member and Harbormaster Dave Johnson was notably absent from Thursday night’s assembly meeting. He was arrested for assault last week and will likely also miss future meetings.
Court records show that in the early morning hours of May 30, Johnson was arrested and charged with three misdemeanor charges, including assault in the 4th degree, and assault when a child is present. Johnson was arraigned later the same day and is out on bail. This was the first time he’s been charged with a crime in the state according to Alaska court records.
Johnson told KMXT on Thursday, June 5, that he will be undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) out of state for an undetermined amount of time. He declined to comment further on the charges.
The City of Kodiak has not made a public statement regarding Johnson’s arrest or his employment status as the Harbormaster. His work email has an automatic reply stating that he will be out of the office until approximately mid-June.
As for the Borough Assembly, there is a possibility he could be removed from his seat. But during Thursday night’s Borough Assembly meeting, the majority of the assembly members voted to excuse Johnson’s absence.
According to Borough code, the assembly can declare Johnson’s seat vacant if he is convicted of a felony or a misdemeanor, if he is physically absent from the borough for 90 consecutive days, unless excused by the assembly, or if he is physically or mentally unable to perform the duties of office as determined by a two-thirds vote of the authorized membership of the assembly.
Borough clerk Nova Javier told KMXT that no assembly members have been removed for criminal convictions or activities in at least the last 25 years.
Johnson was elected last year in October of 2024 for a three-year term by borough voters. He has been employed as the city’s harbormaster since May of 2022.
