Inaugural chief public defender for District 32 sworn in

A veteran criminal defense attorney has taken office as the first chief public defender for Alexander and Iredell counties.

Seth J. Johnson was sworn in by Superior Court Judge Joseph N. Crosswhite in a ceremony at the Iredell County Courthouse in Statesville, says a release published last week by the Office of Indigent Defense Services. Johnson serves the newly created Defender District 32, which was established in January.

He brings to the office 16 years of experience at Crosswhite Crosswhite & Johnson in Statesville, where he almost exclusively practiced criminal defense law, the release says. He also served as the firm’s managing partner and recently served on the roster for the State Office of the Capital Defender. He has been working for several months to wind down his private practice and to recruit staff for the two counties’ public defender offices.

He was nominated for the new position by a popular vote of the local bar.

“It is always good to be acknowledged by your peers,” he said in the release.

A native of Troutman in Iredell County, Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from Appalachian State University and a Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law.