October 1, 2015

Warrensburg Man Charged with Crossing State Line for Illicit Sex with a Minor

KANSAS CITY, MO—Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Warrensburg, Mo., man has been charged in federal court with crossing state lines to engage in illicit sexual activity with a minor in Kansas.

Thomas Johnson, 22, of Warrensburg, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015. Johnson, who was arrested today, remains in federal custody pending a detention hearing.

According to an affidavit filed in support of the federal criminal complaint, the investigation began in the Eastern District of Virginia when law enforcement agents were monitoring a child pornography Web site where Johnson had an account. Johnson allegedly logged onto the Web site and accessed images of child pornography.

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence on Sept. 25, 2015 and interviewed Johnson. Johnson’s cell phone was examined, the affidavit says, and was found to have several explicit photos of possible minor females, including a 13-year-old minor in Olathe, Kan. Johnson told law enforcement officers that he drove to Olathe to meet with the minor victim on two occasions in May 2015. This was confirmed in an interview with the minor victim, according to the affidavit, who also reported illicit sexual contact between herself and Johnson.

Johnson was taken into custody by the Johnson County, Kan., Sheriff’s Department for an outstanding warrant on Sept. 25, 2015. Johnson later bonded out and the following day, the affidavit says, the minor victim’s mother reported that Johnson was attempting to communicate with the minor victim via social media.

Dickinson cautioned that the charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine A. Connelly. It was investigated by the FBI.