Air Force veteran now SAO prosecutor

Daniel Johnson, a U.S. Air Force veteran with a combined 12 years of active and reserve duty, is the newest addition to the 14th Judicial Circuit’s prosecution team in Bay County.

State Attorney Larry Basford said Johnson will be handling misdemeanor cases in Bay County.

Johnson believes his military experience and his year-long internship with the City of Columbus, Ohio, Prosecutor’s Office, combine to make him a good fit.

Prosecutor Daniel Johnson, left, and State Attorney Larry Basford.

“My 12 years of military service have instilled in me a sense of purpose and duty to serve the community,” Johnson said. “It also taught me the importance of upholding the law and protecting the interests of others.”

His year at the prosecutor’s office in Ohio, along with interning as a mediator for the Automotive Consumer Action Program, helped fine-tune the skills he acquired in the military.

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“My legal internship provided me with valuable courtroom experience and the opportunity to work with judges, law enforcement, and court personnel,” he said. “My time as a mediator strengthened my communication and customer service skills.”

All of that, he said, gives him the knowledge and skills to serve the community.

Johnson graduated from high school in Spring Valley/Columbia, N.C., before entering Park University in Parkville, Mo., while still on active duty. From 2020-2023, while on military reserve, he attended and obtained his law degree from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.

Johnson most recently provided consultative services to legal customers at LexisNexis before relocating to Florida to prepare for the bar exam.

For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850–381–7454.