Flemington Councilman Malik Johnston faces calls to step down after being charged with selling drugs
FLEMINGTON, N.J. -- There are calls for a New Jersey politician who faces drug charges to resign.
Councilman Malik Johnston has already apologized for any embarrassment he's caused to the council he sits on in the small New Jersey town of Flemington.
The 46-year-old's been charged with selling cocaine and methamphetamine to an undercover officer.
At a recent council meeting, a woman asked Johnston to resign, alleging he approached her daughter two years ago when she was 18.
"You asked her if she does crystal. That's what you asked her, and she got back in the car and raced home and said, 'Mommy, you know that guy Malik in the red car? He asked me if I do crystal. What's crystal?'" she said.
The woman said she's recovering from opioid addiction and knows Johnston well.
"My daughter says she goes to school with your son, so how can you ask my child, my beautiful child, if she wants to buy crystal?" the woman said.
Johnston, a Democrat, told CBS2's Christine Sloan from behind the door at his home he has no comment on the allegations lodged against him.
His attorney tells CBS2, "He's presumed innocent. We've got a strong defense."
Flemington resident Adrienne Fusaro, who says she encouraged Johnston to run, is also asking him to resign.
"Malik, you need to step down. Now that I know, I thought I was one voice. Now there's multiple voices," she said.
"He needs time to state his case and have proper counsel ... Step aside until proven innocent," Flemington resident Larry Potter said.
We reached out to the mayor of Flemington. She told us she had no comment. We also left messages for several council members, including the council president; no one has gotten back to us.
A borough attorney told MyCentralJersey.com the law doesn't allowed them to remove Johnston from office.
Johnston's attorney says he is not stepping down right now. His term ends this year.
