School helps in pastor rape case

Suspect worked at Huntingdon High School as custodian

Christopher Johnson

By TONYA SMITH-KING

tsmithking@jacksonsun.com

March 25, 2008

Huntingdon Special School District Superintendent Lynn Twyman said Monday school authorities are cooperating in an investigation of a custodian and church pastor accused of raping a 16-year-old girl at Huntingdon High School.

Christopher Johnson, 42, of McKenzie, worked at Huntingdon High through the Knoxville-based GCA Services Group and is charged with rape in the case.

Twyman said whenever there is such an allegation the school has to contact the state Department of Children's Services.

"We're just cooperating fully with the police department and the (state) Department of Children Services," he added.

The school system contracts with GCA Services Group to supply its janitorial services. Twyman said school officials rely on companies they contract with to do background checks on employees.

"They're required by their contract to do the background checks," he added.

Tywman said he doesn't get a copy of that report. In the hiring that the school system does itself, he said they follow state law and would not employ a convicted sex offender.

Johnson has been charged with rape before in Champaign County, Ill., in 1984. But that charge was dropped, Lt. Ed Ogle of the Champaign County Sheriff's Department said Monday.

The Illinois rape charge was one of several charges there, Ogle said. Johnson pleaded guilty to an aggravated battery charge, he said.

Ogle said it wasn't clear from records if the 1984 charges were made through their sheriff's department or some other law enforcement agencies.

For more information about the nature of the charges, he referred The Jackson Sun to the prosecutor's office, which had already closed Monday afternoon.

Johnson was not on any sex offender registry, Huntingdon Police Department Lt. Jimmy Hill has said.

A GCA official told the Carroll County News-Leader in an article on Wednesday that Johnson was on administrative leave without pay. GCA officials did not return calls to the company's Knoxville office Monday.

A man at Johnson's residence hung up on The Jackson Sun Monday during an attempt to reach Johnson. A message was also left for him at the residence last week requesting a comment.

Johnson has been the pastor at Greenfield's St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church for about five months, church deacon Nathaniel Skinner said last week.

Hill said that when police did a recent criminal background check, they found other charges against Johnson.

On Feb. 18, 1988, the Champaign, Ill., Police Department charged him with aggravated battery.

On March 7, 1995, the McKenzie Police Department charged him with theft of property under $500, destruction of property, and assault.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Department charged him the same day with theft over $500 and vandalism over $500, Hill said.

In the Huntingdon case, the 16-year-old girl's mother filed the complaint against Johnson on Feb. 15. The mother told police the rape happened in a closet at the high school during school hours just before Christmas break.

The mother told police Johnson first kissed the girl on her cheek, according to the complaint. Some days after that, he pulled her to the side and kissed her on the lips.

Johnson later raped the girl, the woman told police. According to the complaint, he pulled the girl into a closet and started kissing her.

Other acts of a sexual nature took place in the closet as Johnson blocked the door so the girl couldn't get out, the complaint said.

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- Tonya Smith-King, 425-9680.

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