Johnson Pleads Guilty To Theft

JOHNSON, MAY, DEBRUIN

Posted By: Anne Hermann (email)
Date: 12/17/2008 at 23:06:09

Bellevue Herald-Leader
December 13, 2001

Open guilt plea in May theft case
Theft linked to missing Bellevue man who collected rare Civil War artifacts
By Lowell Carlson

Julie Ann Johnson, charged with first degree theft in the Greg May disappearance case, will be in court Thursday, Dec. 13, in Scott County District Court, Davenport.

Johnson is expected to enter an open plea of guilt at 3 p.m. when she makes her appearance. The location for the court appearance follows an agreement between Johnson’s attorney and Jackson County Attorney John Kies.

Johnson is charged with theft of rare Civil War and Old West memorabilia including firearms, documents and other items, many of which have since been recovered.

The sentencing will also include an appearance by members of May’s immediate family. In a telephone interview last week Donald May, Los Angeles, son of the missing man, said he and his sister, Shannon, intend to be there.

“We want to make statements before the court on behalf of the family at that time,” May said noting the charge of theft for a person in this case isn’t just a case of petty larceny considering their father has been missing since mid-January. Johnson was identified as the person attempting to sell rare Civil War and Old West artifacts through a Rock Island, Ill., auction house earlier this year. The items were later identified as belonging to the missing Greg May, Bellevue.

May said there are still significant missing items include rifles, some extremely high grade rifles related to the Civil War and the Indian Wars period. They are valued at $10,000-$15,000 apiece. Dad also had a large collection of Western movie posters that date back quite a ways and they are still missing and quite valuable. Also missing is a rare Edison gramophone, the kind that uses delicate wax cylinders.

The items were among those owned by Greg May who disappeared from the rented residence here in mid-January.

“We also hope anyone who may have seen our father’s older model red Chevrolet Blazer anywhere that may have seemed unusual in the days leading up to his disappearance will come forward and notify authorities,” May added.

The vehicle was after found abandoned in Aurora, Illinois.

From mid-May, when Johnson was returned from Flagstaff, Arizona where she and her husband,” Cody Johnson (real name Douglas DeBruin) were arrested with items owned by Greg May, Johnson has been incarcerated in the Clinton County Jail because the facility is approved to house female prisoners.

DeBruin, on parole from prison in Wisconsin when he was a resident here in Bellevue, was returned to begin serving additional time for violation of parole.

DeBruin had been a long time friend of May’s, and had worked as a tattoo artist in shops May either had financial interests in or with May as a fellow employee.

At $50 per day, Johnson’s prolonged jail stay amounts to over $10,000 in boarding fees. County taxpayers will not pay that amount because Jackson County has boarded Clinton County prisoners swapping out much of the cost.

Area detention facilities board prisoners routinely and other counties board prisoners routinely and other counties have higher fees. For example, it costs $65 per day to board prisoners at the Cedar County facility.