A Gahanna police officer has resigned after a drunk-driving investigation that started with a traffic stop on Columbus’s Far East Side and ended with a loaded handgun found in her car.
Brenda Johnson, 29, stepped down from the Gahanna Division of Police after she had already been relieved of duty in January while the Ohio State Highway Patrol looked into an alleged OVI stop. Troopers say the Jan. 24 stop turned up signs of impairment and a loaded firearm. Prosecutors initially filed a felony count of improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, but that charge was tossed at arraignment.
What troopers reported
An Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper reported stopping Johnson on Jan. 24 near State Route 16 and Bannockburn Drive. During field-sobriety testing, the trooper said Johnson showed bloodshot, glassy eyes, slurred speech, and an odor of alcohol. Officers also reported finding a loaded Glock in a bag on the back passenger-side floorboard of the Honda. Johnson was arrested on suspicion of OVI and cited for a marked-lanes violation, according to WHIO.
Charges and court background
Court records show prosecutors first charged Johnson with improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle, but that count was dismissed at arraignment and could still be refiled in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, according to The Columbus Dispatch. A not-guilty plea was entered on the remaining counts, and a pretrial hearing had been scheduled for Feb. 25.
The Columbus Dispatch also reported that Johnson pleaded guilty in September 2024 to a misdemeanor “physical control impaired” charge tied to a separate traffic incident in May 2024.
Gahanna’s administrative response
The City of Gahanna said it launched an administrative investigation and moved quickly once it learned of Johnson’s arrest. “She has been relieved of duty and has no authority as a law enforcement officer,” the city’s statement said, as quoted by WHIO. Local outlet WSYX reported that Johnson has since resigned from the Gahanna Division of Police while the internal probe continues.
Legal implications
Under Ohio law, improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony, and some violations carry fourth- or fifth-degree felony penalties, according to the Ohio Revised Code. A dismissal at arraignment does not necessarily close the book on a case, since prosecutors can seek to refile charges or move the matter to a higher court…