Newton County sexual predator to remain in prison

A sexual predator will remain in custody, thanks to a ruling made last week by Newton County Circuit Court Judge Tim Perigo.
Joseph Johnson's motion for release from confinement was denied July 12 by Perigo, according to a news release from Attorney General Jay Nixon.
In 1999, a Newton County jury found that Johnson was a sexually violent predator, based on psychiatric testimony that indicated his behavior was likely to occur again.
Court records indicate Johnson had two convictions for sexual offenses. In 1991, Johnson was convicted of two counts of sodomy. The victim in that case was a 9-year-old relative. Johnson fondled her breasts and vaginal area, both over and under her clothing, with his hand; he also had her perform oral sex upon him on one occasion, according to court records.
In 1995, Johnson was convicted of committing sexual assault in the first degree on a 15-year-old relative, by having sexual intercourse with her. Johnson used verbal and physical force on Crystal to accomplish the assault. He was on parole at the time he committed the second offense, the court records indicate.
After each of his convictions, he was ordered to go through the Missouri Sex Offenders Program. He failed to do so either time.
There was evidence that Johnson had sexual contact with other underage girls besides his two relatives, according to court records. A doctor who testified at Johnson's 1999 hearing said Johnson told him he had sex with a young neighbor, who was between 16-18 years old at the time and she became pregnant as a result. The girl's older sister was called as a witness testified that she, too, had been sexually abused by Johnson when she was 11. During that abuse, she said, Johnson forcibly removed her clothes, fondled her vaginal area, performed oral sex on her against her will, forced her to perform oral sex on him, and placed his fingers inside her vagina. On several occasions, this sexual abuse by Johnson was accompanied by physical violence toward her or threats to kill her, she testified.
During the hearing, the state presented expert testimony from two witnesses: a psychologist, Dr. Steven Mandracchia; and a psychiatrist, Dr. Roy Lacoursiere.
According to the court opinion:

Dr. Mandracchia testified that he was concerned about a statement by Johnson that he was "missing teenage girls the most" because this appeared to be an admitted preference for an inappropriate sexual object.
Dr. Lacoursiere testified that Johnson suffered from two mental abnormalities: paraphilia NOS and personality disorder NOS with antisocial traits. Each of these mental abnormalities predisposes Johnson to commit sexually violent offenses in a degree that causes him serious difficulty in controlling his behavior. These mental abnormalities make Johnson more likely than not to engage in predatory acts of sexually violent behavior if not confined to a secure facility, the doctor testified.