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A Union County jury deliberated for nearly three hours before returning a guilty verdict against, Michael G. Johnston, 45, of Winfield Park, last week, nearly a year after the Rahway incident, Union County First Assistant Prosecutor James O. Tansey announced.
Johnston and the 25-year-old victim were at Butch Kowal’s Tavern in Rahway, when they began arguing around 1:45 a.m. on Aug. 30, 2021, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Melissa Caparruva, who prosecuted the case.
Johnston attacked the victim with a knife, slashing him once on his throat and once on his wrist, Tansey said. The victim was able to track down a police officer on the 800 Block of Saint George’s Avenue, before he was rushed to the hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Witnesses, physical evidence and video surveillance in the area presented over the course of the trial were able to definitively pinpoint Johnston as the attacker, Caparruva said
Johnston was found guilty on one count each of second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, third-degree possession of a weapon for unlawful purposes and fourth-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, following a two week trial before Union County Superior Court Judge Robert Kirsch.
Sentencing has been scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30 before Judge Kirsch, at which time Johnston can face a sentence of up to ten years in State Prison with an 85% period of mandatory parole ineligibility pursuant to the State’s No Early Release Act (NERA).
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