A Porter man whose securities fraud case has stretched on for more than a decade will remain in Porter County Jail at least until an April hearing on whether his probation should be revoked after his attorneys quit.

An evidentiary hearing on a petition to revoke Donald M. Johnson’s probation slated to take place on Friday was pushed back until April 11 to give him time to find another attorney. Johnson has had 11 attorneys since he was first charged in 2014, Porter Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Clymer said during the brief hearing.

Johnson, 59, is on probation for four years after pleading guilty more than a year ago to a single count of securities fraud in a case that involves multiple victims. Under the terms of the plea agreement reluctantly accepted by Clymer in January 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty to one count of broker-dealer registration violation, a Class C felony.

The additional 14 counts against him were dismissed as terms of the plea and he was sentenced to four years of probation and to pay $604,500 in restitution, the total owed to all of his victims. He has paid $58,031 of that so far, according to online court records.

Johnson landed in Porter County Jail in October after a late restitution payment, among other allegations, jeopardized his probation status. He also racked up a fresh criminal charge, a level 6 felony count of obstruction of justice, during his Oct. 24 arrest at his parents’ rural Porter County home.

According to online court filings in Johnson’s two cases, Rebecca Gray, an attorney with the Indianapolis firm Harwell Gray, filed an appearance in both matters on Dec. 13.

Four days later, online filings reflect a motion to withdraw as counsel. Clymer granted the motion to withdraw on Dec. 26, leaving Johnson again without an attorney in either court case. Clymer previously appointed a public defender to represent Johnson but the judge ended that representation when he learned that Johnson had lied about his finances and was not indigent.

The time frame for the evidentiary hearing, which Johnson stretched with the understanding that it would give him time to find a new attorney and for that attorney to review the evidence in his case, also means the attorney will pick up the obstruction of justice case.

With Johnson’s consent, Clymer canceled the upcoming dates in the obstruction case and set it for a status hearing on April 11, when Johnson has the evidentiary hearing on the petition to revoke his probation.

Johnson also agreed to waive his right to a speedy trial in the obstruction case and agreed with Clymer that his new attorney could file to expedite the April hearing to an earlier date.

Clymer started Friday’s hearing by informing Johnson he had the right to an attorney or to represent himself but Johnson said he wanted counsel. Johnson said he’s contacted dozens of attorneys without success “but several said they are considering representing me.”

Once a new court date was set during a hearing with a far more amicable tone than past ones, Johnson had a question: “How does that affect my ability to be released?”

“Right now you’re being held without bond,” Clymer responded, and since nothing has changed, Johnson will continue to be held as such until his April hearing.

Clymer ordered Johnson held without bond because he deemed Johnson both a flight risk — recorded jail calls with his son captured Johnson talking about selling all of his properties and moving out of state — and a danger to the community because of the nature of his crimes.

Johnson has said he wants to be released so he can work on his various properties, Clymer said, but “it would benefit you to sell some of your properties.”

Previous court hearings have considered the possibility of Johnson’s various rental properties going into receivership and being sold to pay back the victims in his securities fraud case but the plan never came to fruition.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com