On the afternoon of April 14, the man charged in the March 31 death of Bluffton police officer Dominic Francis pleaded innocent to all charges in a ten-count indictment in Hancock County Common Pleas Court. The following details were reported in the Findlay Courier.
Emin R. Johnson, 20, of Euclid, is believed to be the driver of the car that struck officer Francis.
Johnson is now being held in the Hancock County Justice Center. Judge Reginald Routson continued Johnson’s bond at $500,000.
Two charges against Johnson are first-degree felony counts of involuntary manslaughter. He is charged with causing Francis’s death while failing to comply with an order or signal from another police officer. He is also alleged to have caused Francis's death while receiving stolen property, the car that struck Francis.
A charge of aggravated vehicular homicide, a third-degree felony, alleges that Johnson recklessly caused Francis' death.
A second man believed to have been in the Nissan Infiniti that struck Francis, Zachary L. Love, 21, is also being held at the Hancock County Justice Center. Also on Thursday, Love pleaded innocent to a five-count indictment. His bond remains at $100,000.
Dante D. Tate, 19, of Euclid, is also believed to have been in the vehicle that killed Francis. Tate is being held in the Medina County Jail. He faces a four-count indictment, all fourth-degree felonies. Judge Routson is expected to hold a court hearing by teleconference.
