The State of Alaska has dismissed all criminal charges against Kodiak’s Harbormaster Dave Johnson.
Last month on May 30 Johnson was arrested and charged with assault in the 4th degree, assault when a child is present and criminal mischief for minor damages.
According to charging documents, Johnson has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and was likely having a panic attack during the morning of his arrest. He is currently going through treatment out of state and has been absent from recent Kodiak Island Borough Assembly meetings. He was elected as an assembly member in October, 2024.
In Johnsons’ absence, Monte Anderson has been named as Acting Harbormaster according to Johnson’s out of office email reply.
The District Attorney in Kodiak, William Vitkus, officially dismissed the three misdemeanor charges against Johnson on Wednesday, according to court records.
Johnson’s attorney John Cashion has been doing criminal defense for more than 20 years and told KMXT that he appreciates the local DA’s office for dismissing the charges.
“Prosecutors have a world of discretion and they can really influence the trajectory of lives," Cashion said. "I thought this was a very appropriate exercise of prosecutorial discretion, just to say the criminal justice system is not the place for this case.”
District Attorney Vitkus did not respond to a request for comment before the publishing of this story.
This case is now considered closed and Cashion said he doubts it will be reopened or come back into court in the future.
