Daniel E. Johnson - The Honorable Daniel E. Johnson is the 15th solicitor elected to serve as Solicitor for the Fifth Judicial Circuit of South Carolina.

He served as Legal Counsel and Deputy Chief as well as Chief Deputy for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, where he worked for eight years. While there he assisted the Sheriff in directing the county’s law enforcement programs and performing various legal and administrative duties to ensure the strict enforcement of state and local laws relating to the public’s safety and welfare. Johnson worked closely with Richland County Council and organizations throughout the community, managing the department’s annual budget of 30 million dollars.

A former prosecutor in the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, Johnson served as the Special City Prosecutor for the City of Columbia while serving on the Violent Crimes Task force. In 2008, he was one of three finalists for the Chief of Police of the City of Columbia.

Solicitor Johnson, a Captain and Judge Advocate in the United States Army Reserve, is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While serving in Korea in the summer of 2010, he received the United States Army Reserve Commander’s Coin and Certificate for outstanding performance.

He is a graduate of The Citadel, the University of South Carolina School of Law, the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy, and the Police Legal Advisors Training program. Johnson is a member of the South Carolina Bar and an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. In 2004, he was selected as a member of the Rotary Group Study Exchange Team, traveling to Sweden and engaging in a six-week speaking tour about community policing.

He currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Centura College, the Domestic Abuse Center, The Citadel Brigadier Foundation and the Youth Corps. He is also a recipient of The Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian award issued by the Governor. He received The Order of the Palmetto for bravery and acts of heroism at the age of twenty-two.

Solicitor Johnson was born in Washington, D.C., and attended high school in Laurel, Maryland.