GREENFIELD, Ind. — Court documents detail new allegations against a Greenfield YMCA employee who is already facing numerous charges after multiple children reported he touched them inappropriately.
Hancock County prosecutors already charged 26-year-old Jericho Johnson, of Greenfield, with four counts of child molesting-fondling or touching with a child under 14, two counts of confinement where the victim is under 14 years of age and two counts of battery on a person less than 14 years old.
Greenfield police told 13News that since our story in late February, more victims have come forward. They say three more young people accuse Johnson of inappropriately touching them, too, bringing the total to seven children.
(NOTE: The above video is from a previous report on Johnson's arrest.)
Johnson appeared in Hancock County Court Wednesday, where he was charged with three more felonies, including a Felony 1 charge.
"This is the most serious offense under murder as a level one felony, because the child victim is less than 12 years old," said Hancock County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Aimee Herring. "This would be a credit-restricted offense if Mr. Johnson was convicted, therefore the penalty for that would be 20-50 years."
In arresting probable cause documents, police say a 6-year-old girl said that Johnson stuck his hand down the front of her pants inside her underwear while working as a part-time teacher's aide at Shining Stars Child Care Academy. The victim told her father immediately after the alleged abuse, who then asked Shining Star's owner about the incident. Court documents allege the owner told the girl's father she checked security footage and did not find anything to substantiate the 6-year-old's allegation.
A 7-year-old girl told police she witnessed the incident, according to court documents. That girl allegedly told police Johnson had touched her by massaging her over her clothes with his hands. The 6-year-old attended the day care for months after the alleged abuse. Her parents told police they noticed she was having behavioral issues. After the child started at another day care center, her parents allegedly noticed the child's behavior change drastically.
13News attempted to speak to the Shining Stars Academy's owner but was told she was out of town.
We spoke to the owner two weeks ago, who told us Johnson worked there from 2021 until he left on his own in the middle of last year. She also said she had "no red flags" about Johnson.
"Indiana is a mandatory reporting state," said Herring. "Every individual that has reason to believe that a child is the victim of abuse or neglect is required to report to DCS."
The prosecutor's office would not say if charges would be filed against the day care.
A 4-year-old girl allegedly told police Johnson had touched her under her underwear while tickling her, also at Shining Stars Child Care Academy.
A seventh alleged victim, a 9-year-old boy, told a parent that Johnson inappropriately touched him over his pants, according to the documents. That incident allegedly occurred at the YMCA after-school program.
Herring said parents should routinely talk to their children about body safety.
"This is just a reminder that this is something that does happen here in our community, it happens frequently, and these conversations need to be had in the home on a regular basis," she said.
Johnson's cash bond was raised Wednesday from $100,000 to $175,000
Original case against Johnson
The original case stems from Feb. 14 when Greenfield police officers responded to a report of a possible sex offense against an underage girl.
According to court documents, police spoke with the father of a 9-year-old girl, who told her dad that a male staff member at an after-school program, later identified as Johnson, had unbuttoned her 8-year-old friend's pants and put his hands down the front of her friend's pants.
"That child trusting their parent and sharing those things? That was really the break we needed to begin the investigation," Hancock County Prosecutor Brent Eaton said. "It really kind of unraveled from there, and we followed one lead to the next. These can be difficult cases. And I want to give credit to law enforcement and Zoey's Place, which interviewed the victims, for working so quickly on this case."
Detectives then spoke with the 9-year-old girl, who said Johnson had also touched her inappropriately and she had asked him to stop.
According to court documents, detectives also spoke with the 8-year-old girl, who told them she was talking to detectives because there was a "man at the YMCA who keeps touching their privates."
Upon further investigation, detectives were told by the victims that Johnson had touched them inappropriately while playing a game in the cafeteria.
After one of the victims had told Johnson to stop touching her, the victim said Johnson replied by saying, “What’s wrong, don’t you like me?” according to court documents.
After learning more on what unfolded during the incident, detectives spoke with Johnson and asked him what had happened. According to court documents, Johnson admitted that “his hand may have slipped down” while he was “wrestling” with the kids. Johnson told detectives he and the kids were “wrestling,” which he said he meant "tickle," in the first place because kids “can’t ever get boundaries and the kids always wanted to wrestle him.”
According to court documents, detectives told Johnson they would be testing for his DNA, to which he allegedly immediately said, "I messed up" and admitted to touching both girls under their clothes at the after-school program.
When detectives asked Johnson why he touched the girls, he allegedly said he got carried away and felt bad.
Within days of police arresting Johnson and sharing a public plea for parents to talk to their kids, two more alleged victims came forward.
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In a separate incident, detectives learned Johnson had inappropriately touched two other girls, one of whom was 8 years old. One of the victims told Johnson to stop touching her and her friend, and “slapped him across the face, causing his glasses to fall down off his face” at a home.
According to court documents, one of the victims told detectives that Johnson touched both of them under their shirts. Documents also revealed the girls said he gave them gifts: a cellphone, toys and money.
Johnson had his initial hearing Monday and is now being held in the Hancock County Jail on a $100,000 bond. If he posts bond, he has to wear a GPS monitor, and the judge also stated he cannot work anywhere with people under age 18 or attend any school or church in which people under the age of 18 are present.
Prosecutors and police said there is concern there could be even more young victims.
That's because Johnson's worked with kids for years — not only at the YMCA after-school program, but also as a volunteer, mentoring kids at Brandywine Church and as a part-time teacher's aide at Shining Stars Child Care Academy, both in Greenfield.
"It makes us mad," said the owner of Shining Stars Child Care Academy. "Absolutely it makes us mad, beyond mad."
The day care owner said he worked there starting in 2021 and left that job on his own eight months ago.
"It is shocking. It breaks our heart, and it is beyond horrible. We had no red flags, all federal and state background checks were done. We're all in shock as well," she said.
And she's angry that someone hired to protect kids is now accused of hurting them.
"It's professional and personal," the owner said. "Three of my teachers and myself have grown up with abuse as well. So for us, it's hitting home very much because we have been in those positions."
A status hearing is set for Johnson on March 13, 2024.
The YMCA shared the following statement with 13News about the investigation:
"The safety and wellbeing of children in our programs is our top priority. We will continue to cooperate with Greenfield Police and the Indiana Department of Child Services in response to allegations by two students that have been brought against a former YMCA staff member at our Before & After School program. The employee has been suspended and banded from all future YMCA programs and events."
Also, if you or a family member have been the victim of abuse, Zoey's Place is an advocacy center in Hancock County that helps kids and families after reports of crimes against children like abuse, neglect or sexual assault.