District man sentenced for 45 years for kidnapping, sex abuse

Jovon Johnson, 33, was convicted in April of 19 felony charges, including child sexual abuse, assault and kidnapping. The Southeast resident separately abducted two girls, aged 14 and 16, and repeatedly raped them - forcing the 14-year-old to have sex with other men for money.

At the sentencing hearing Friday, Judge Richard Richter expressed frustration that Johnson repeatedly denied any involvement in the crime both during and after the trial.

"The kind of activities you engage in here - you are an evil person," Richter said. "And to stand here and say it's a heinous crime and somebody else did it only makes it worse."

Prosecutors suggested that Johnson receive a life sentence without parole - a rare request in non-homicide cases - but Richter instead imposed different sentences on each charge.

Johnson first met the 14-year-old while driving in his car in May 2005, soon after she ran away from home. In addition to having sex with her, he arranged for her to have sex with other men during the day and return with the profits. He called her "Cocoa," and told her to call him "Daddy," according to court documents.

When she tried to escape, court documents state that he took off her clothes and whipped her repeatedly. After this, he took her clothes with him each day to prevent her from escaping. She eventually convinced one of Johnson's friends to release her.

The second girl had also run away from home, and met Johnson while prostituting in the same area. Johnson invited the 16-year-old into his car, told her he had two guns, and then raped her twice at a nearby apartment. At trial, she testified with her back to Johnson, ultimately bursting into tears.

"The community deserves to be protected against people like you, Mr. Johnson," Richter said. In addition to the 45-and-a-half year sentence, Johnson must register as a sex offender.

Archie Nichols, Johnson's attorney, said he plans to file an appeal on Monday morning.