John was born and raised in Edwardsville, Pennsylvania. He graduated from King’s College in 1994 with a dual major Bachelor of Arts degree in History and French. He then graduated from Ohio Northern University Petit School of Law in 1997 with  a Juris Doctorate degree.

John was an Assistant Prosecutor with the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office from 1997 through 1999 and then with the Allen County Prosecutor’s Office from 1999 until 2007. In mid 2007, John went into private practice with a firm that would become Schierloh, O’Malley and Associates. It was at that time that John began handling criminal defense, child custody, divorce, and assorted other civil matters.

In 2017, John became a Partner in what is now Hopkins, Schroeder, and Von Sossan, LLC. John is the Vice-President for the Van Wert County Public Defender’s Office as well as for the Paulding County Public Defender’s Office. John serves as the Mayor’s Court Magistrate for the Village of Columbus Grove, Ohio and is also an elected member of Council for the Village of Kalida. John has also been a board member for the Pathways Counseling Center in Ottawa, Ohio since 2017.

John has resided in Kalida, Ohio since 1999 with his wife, Shelly, and two (now adult) daughters. John and his family are members of St. Michael’s Parish in Kalida, Ohio. John has no issue letting anyone know of his love for his Houston Astros, Miami Dolphins, and Michigan Wolverines.