Champaign man accused of sexually abusing a teenager and possessing child pornography | Courts-Police-Fire

URBANA – A Champaign man has been charged with sexually abusing a 16-year-old and possessing child pornography.

Champaign County Judge Brett Olmstead ruled Friday that Joshua T. Johnson, 49, must await trial in jail after being charged this week with possession of child pornography and aggravated sexual abuse of a person between the ages of 13 and 17.

Assistant District Attorney Eileen Keeley said the 16-year-old’s mother contacted Urbana police after becoming concerned about seeing her daughter leaving the house in a man’s car on several mornings.

Urbana police questioned the girl, who said she met Johnson through another man with whom she allegedly had sex, Keeley said.

The girl told officers that she had had sexual intercourse with both men in Johnson’s apartment and that she had been having sexual intercourse with Johnson for about five months.

The girl also told officers that Johnson gave her methamphetamine, cannabis and alcohol. She gave police details of Johnson’s apartment and claimed that Johnson recorded and photographed the sexual acts on several occasions with his phone.

Investigators examined the girl’s phone and found several text messages between her and Johnson, including nude photos and conversations about her age, Keeley said.

On May 11, for example, the girl asked Johnson if he would still like her when she was 17, Keeley said. On May 12, Johnson allegedly texted, “Looking forward to your birthday, no more prison stress,” and asked her if she liked “threesomes.”

Police executed a search warrant for Johnson’s apartment on Wednesday and found a plate, a razor blade and a glass smoking device that had a crystal white residue that tested positive for amphetamine in a field test.

Police saidOfficers also found lubricants consistent with what the girl said Johnson used, as well as several erotic videos and magazines that Keeley said suggested he enjoyed sex with underage women because they had titles like “Pure 18” and “Barely Legal.”

When questioned, Johnson admitted that he knew the girl’s age, but continued to have sex with her and gave her meth at least once.

Johnson also reportedly said he took explicit photos and videos of the girl on his cellphone. He gave police the passcode for his phone and when officers opened it, a photo of the girl engaging in a sexual act appeared on the screen, Keeley said.

The alleged victim was in the courtroom with her parents during the hearing and told the judge that Johnson had come to her home many times to secretly take her out of her room and that he had been very adamant that she come with him.

In her motion to detain Johnson, Keeley emphasized that Johnson was not only accused of sexually exploiting a minor over several months, but also of filming the sexual acts and giving her drugs.

Public defender Katie Jessup argued for Johnson’s release on conditions of pretrial detention, pointing out that Johnson has only a very short criminal history and his most serious previous conviction was driving without a license.

Jessup said Johnson has cooperated with investigators, that his parents have serious medical needs and that he needs to stay out of prison to support them, and that he will comply with all conditions of his release, including not having contact with the alleged victim.

Olmstead said the text messages and the fact that police only learned of the alleged abuse from the girl’s mother and the girl provided only a limited account of her experience indicated that the 16-year-old was downplaying what happened.

However, the law does not expect a child to be able to understand how he or she was manipulated into a “twisted and horrific relationship,” the judge said.

Johnson seemed unaware of the “horrific” nature of his alleged actions, Olmstead said. However, he is an adult and preliminary evidence suggests the girl’s age did not stop him from trying to get her to do unlawful things for months.

He said the couple’s urge to defy the measures imposed by the authorities would be overwhelming and the girl was so vulnerable to manipulation that any conditions he could impose on Johnson to keep him free pending trial would be “absolutely useless”.

Johnson faces six to 30 years in prison if convicted of possession of child pornography, a Class X felony. His next court date is scheduled for July.