Who’s who in the JoCo school board member case involving sex, blackmail and politics

A Johnston County jury could soon decide the fate of a school board member accused of using sex, secret recordings and blackmail for personal gain.

Since last week, Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnson has been on trial on criminal charges of extortion, obstruction of justice and willfully failing to discharge his duties. Johnson has denied the charges and rejected calls to resign from the school board.

Here’s a look at the major players in the case.

Ronald Johnson Jr., the indicted school board member

Ronald Johnson Jr. has been on the school board since being elected in 2016. He was re-elected in November despite being under indictment.

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He was a Smithfield police officer for 17 years before being fired in October 2022 on grounds of “detrimental personal conduct.” Johnson is suing The Town of Smithfield in federal court over his termination.

The extortion charge centers around allegations that Johnson threatened to release a damaging recording of a congressional candidate. Johnson allegedly said that he could make the recording go away if the candidate could get a woman both men knew to sign a letter recanting that she was having an affair with Johnson.

The obstruction of justice charges stem from allegations Johnson removed evidence from a Clayton gym where he maintained an office after he knew a criminal investigation had begun.

The failure to discharge his duties charges stem from allegations he violated school board policy by secretly recording closed session meetings and tried to transfer two Clayton High School students in retaliation against a parent.

Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnson apologizes at Oct. 6, 2022 school board meeting about inappropriate texts he had sent about a female school employee during board meetings in 2019.
Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnson apologizes at Oct. 6, 2022 school board meeting about inappropriate texts he had sent about a female school employee during board meetings in 2019.

The school board censured Johnson in 2022 over those allegations.

Angela Barbour, the Johnston County teacher

Angela Barbour is a Johnston County teacher who had an extramarital affair with Johnson between November 2020 and February 2022.

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Barbour has testified that Johnson went to great lengths to hide their affair, including using Snapchat so the messages couldn’t be saved and traveling separately to have romantic trysts.

Barbour has testified that Johnson asked her to secretly record other Republican politicians, including a congressional candidate he wanted her to snare in a sex video.

Johnson’s attorney has tried to portray Barbour as a jilted ex-lover who has exaggerated the stories about Johnson’s activities.

DeVan Barbour, the failed congressional candidate

DeVan Barbour IV unsuccessfully ran in 2022 and 2024 for a congressional seat in Johnston County.

Angela Barbour has testified that in 2021 afully nude” DeVan Barbour made a FaceTime call to her.

Angela Barbour and DeVan Barbour are not related.

Angela Barbour has testified that after learning about the incident, Johnson asked her to record a sex video with DeVan Barbour or get some other kind of incriminating evidence.

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DeVan Barbour has testified that shortly before the 2022 Republican primary, he met Johnson in a pickup truck behind the Clayton gym where the board member kept an office. Devan Barbour testified that Johnson got into his pickup and gave him an earbud attached to a cell phone, which played part of a recording from Angela Barbour, the teacher.

DeVan Barbour testified Johnson wanted something in exchange for making the recording go away: Get Angela Barbour to write a letter denying that she ever had an affair with Johnson.

Johnson’s attorney has pointed out that his client never publicly revealed information about DeVan Barbour even though Angela Barbour did not recant the affair.

Kevin Donovan, JoCo school board member

School board member Kevin Donovan has received an immunity deal from the Johnston County District Attorney’s Office for testifying against Johnson.

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Donovan has credited Johnson’s help for getting elected to the school board in 2022. That’s why Donovan said he did things for Johnson he now regrets.

Donovan testified that he secretly recorded a meeting with a Johnston County District Attorney’s Office investigator who was investigating Johnson. Donovan said he made the recording at Johnson’s request and gave him a copy of the audio.

Donovan has also testified that Johnson shared with him copies of secretly recorded closed-session school board meetings.

Donovan said he trusted Johnson’s assurances that he was not having an affair with Angela Barbour. This led to Donovan secretly passing along to Johnson messages that she sent him.

Donovan and Angela Barbour have testified that public knowledge of the affair would have hurt Johnson’s political ambitions.

Prosecutors have accused Johnson of trying to hide the relationship by taking out the wrong type of protection order against Angela Barbour. Instead of the protection order that would have acknowledged they had been dating, Johnston took out one that’s used when accusing strangers of harassment.

During cross-examination, Johnson’s attorney argued that Donovan could have said no to Johnson. Donovan has also been questioned about harsh comments he made about Angela Barbour in texts, including one that said, “if she needs a bullet, I’ll donate.”

Bennett Jones, former Clayton High principal

Bennett Jones, the former principal of Clayton High School, testified on Tuesday that Johnson tried to use his influence as a board member to transfer two special-needs students out of the school.

Prosecutors contend Johnson tried to transfer the students as payback against a former friend who he felt had turned against him. Jones recorded his conversations with Johnson.

Jones was principal of Clayton High from 2016 to 2022. In 2019, he was briefly reassigned to a job in central office amid an investigation into the school’s athletic program.

Clayton High parents rallied behind Jones, who was reassigned back as principal a few months later. In 2022, the school board issued a public apology to Jones and the school’s former head football coach.

Owen Phillips, former cop and friend of Johnson

Owen Phillips is the father of the two students that Johnson is accused of trying to transfer out of Clayton High. They had been friends from the days when they both were on the Smithfield Police Department.

Phillips testified on Tuesday that Johnson would ask him to do things that were “somewhat iffy.”

In one case, Johnson asked him to repeatedly drive past a house in a Clayton subdivision, using his wife’s car because his own Jeep was too noticeable.

In another, Phillips said, he was instructed to watch an apartment because Johnson got a complaint that a teacher and a student were having an inappropriate relationship. Phillips said he watched the teacher leave with a man in a red car, and he followed them to a nearby bar. Later, Phillips said, he learned the teacher was Angela Barbour.

In January 2021, Phillips had been indicted on charges of making and selling testosterone. But Phillips avoided jail time by agreeing to complete a drug diversion program and surrendering his law enforcement certification, according to the Johnston County Report.