Star News
February 26, 2010
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20100226/ARTICLES/100229739/1177?Title=Pastor-risks-jail-with-Facebook-contact-to-alleged-sex-crime-victim
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A Leland pastor facing child sex charges recently sent a friend request to his alleged victim on the online social networking site Facebook.
That almost landed James T. Johnson back in jail, because his bond forbids contact with the girl or anyone under 18. But the prosecutor relented, and he remains on house arrest.
Johnson has been charged with three counts of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of first-degree sex offense with a child and one count of attempted first-degree rape of a child. The victim, now 13, was in elementary school when the alleged incidents occurred over a three year period.
The StarNews does not identify victims in sexual abuse cases.
Johnson has been on house arrest since November when his bond was lowered by a District Court judge. He was later ordered by a Superior Court judge not have any contact with anyone under 18, and he is not allowed to preach at his church. Johnson founded the Olive Branch Church on Mount Misery Road.
Assistant District Attorney Meredith Everhart confirmed Friday that Johnson sent the friend request to the girl.
Prosecutors were originally going to ask that Johnson’s bond be revoked for attempting to make contact with the victim. But Johnson’s attorneys had put in a motion two weeks ago to modify the terms of his house arrest, allowing him to leave the house for work. Rather than risk his bond being revoked and going back to jail, he agreed to drop the request to modify his house arrest, Everhart said.
“So we kind of compromised,” she added.
Johnson’s attorney, James Payne, said he could not comment on the case.
No trial date has been set yet in Johnson’s case.
Shelby Sebens: 343-2076
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