An Indiana man, Brandon Johnson, aged 19, traveled around 300 miles to Kentucky to meet up with someone he described as his girlfriend. But here’s the twist: she is only 13-years old. After he showed up at her middle school asking to see her, the authorities were notified and the Berea Police Department arrived shortly to arrest him.
Mr. Johnson allegedly admitted to exchanging illicit or otherwise sexual photographs and videos with the girl, whose name is not likely to be released to the public. Nearly 100 pictures and 10 videos were found on his cellphone which have been collected as evidence of his claims.
Berea PD have assigned the following charges to his arrest:
- 50 counts of use of a minor under 16 in a sexual performance.
- 50 counts of possessing or viewing matter depicting a sexual performance of a minor.
- 50 counts of using electronic communication to obtain a minor for sexual acts.
- 1 count of distribution of illicit or explicit material to a minor.
An Uncertain Future for the Alleged Perpetrator
The sex crimes that have been charged against Mr. Johnson are some of the most serious in Kentucky. If he is convicted of just one of the 100+ counts against him, he could be facing jail time, high fines, and mandatory sex offender registration. In short, this incident could haunt him for the rest of his life and prevent him from securing educational and employment opportunities.
If you have been arrested for a similar accusation or any other crime, contact our Lexington criminal defense attorneys at Bleile & Dawson today. We have more than 20 years of combined legal experience with an intentional focus on sex crime cases. We understand that sometimes the penalties can far outweigh the accusations, that the accused can be held in an unfair biased light, and that even false allegations may be at play. Call 859.951.3112 any hour of the day, any day of the year to learn how we can aggressively defend your rights in and out of court!