Officials drop federal sex charges against LA govt. employee
LAFAYETTE, LA (WAFB) - A Louisiana government employee who was arrested and subsequently fired for an alleged sex act with a minor has won a victory in federal court.
Christopher Justin Johnson was arrested in February and indicted on three federal charges, but those charges were dropped by U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley of the Western District of Louisiana in the federal courtroom of U.S. District Judge Richard Haik.
"Oh, he's thrilled. We're very, very happy," said Karl Koch, Johnson's attorney. "This has been a huge burden for him to carry around during these five months. It's a terrible thing to be accused of doing, but Justin has always maintained his innocence from his first word from the first time that this came up."
Johnson was literally hauled out of his job as an IT worker for the Louisiana Division of Administration. Detectives with Louisiana State Police arrested him on both state and federal crimes. After his arrest, he was fired from his job with the state. Commissioner Angele Davis commented about Johnson's arrest the day it happened.
"The actions alleged in this case are deeply disturbing and constitute the worst kind of predatory behavior that this administration is determined to eradicate across the state," Davis said.
Col. Mike Edmonson, superintendent of Louisiana State Police, also released a statement that day. He even referred to Johnson as a predator.
"This is an example of why law enforcement must stay focused on the mission of identifying, investigating and arresting individuals who prey on our children," Edmonson said.
"He did get arrested, but this case is an example of the system working. It teaches a few lessons. Number one, the fact that somebody is arrested does not mean he's guilty. The fact that he's accused of a terrible crime doesn't mean he did it," Koch explained.
"Obviously, some of the charges involved in this case went to the state level, others to the federal level," said Sgt. Markus Smith with Louisiana State Police. "As far as what the feds do with this particular case, I don't have an opinion on that. The process is what it is."
The state side of this case still exists. Johnson has been arrested, but not formally charged in the 19th Judicial District Court.
Typically, one jurisdiction will wait until the business of another is complete before moving forward.
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