CLARION BOROUGH, Pa. (EYT) — What began as a report of a stolen wallet ended with robbery, indecent assault, and related charges being filed against a Clarion man.
Court documents indicate the Clarion Borough Police filed criminal charges against 25-year-old Jonathan William Johnston.
According to a criminal complaint, around 9:34 a.m. on Friday, June 25, Clarion Borough Police were dispatched to a known business in Clarion Borough for a report of theft of a wallet.
Police then spoke to a known victim who initially reported that he had arrived at the business and purchased items with cash from his wallet, placed his wallet back into his pocket, and someone stole it from his pocket.
Police then reviewed video surveillance from inside the business.
According to the complaint, the video footage showed that Jonathan Johnston, who police recognized from previous investigations, had been inside the store playing a poker machine and had spoken to the victim before walking out of the door. The video showed the victim following Johnston and both individuals then entering a porta-potty on the south side of the store. Johnston then exited the porta-potty approximately two minutes later, and the victim exited a minute after that.
Police then interviewed the victim a second time.
The complaint states the victim then told police that when Johnston was exiting the store, he had asked the victim to hold a bag of items he purchased while he went to use the restroom. The victim said when they got to the porta-potty, Johnson told him to go inside or else he “would hurt him.”
The victim reported once they were inside the porta-potty, Johnston told him to pull down his pants. He told police Johnston then reached down and rubbed his genitals. He reported that he told Johnston to stop, but Johnston continued, then reached down and took his wallet from his pocket before leaving the porta-potty, according to the complaint.
The complaint notes the victim reported there was somewhere between $60.00 and $100.00 cash in the wallet.
Police then went to Johnston’s residence in an attempt to contact him.
When they arrived, Johnston was reportedly standing in the driveway. Johnston then saw the officers, ran over to a container with a fire in it in the backyard, and sprayed accelerant onto the fire. One of the officers ran over and kicked the contents of the fire in an attempt to preserve any possible evidence in it, the complaint indicates.
The officers then placed Johnston into custody.
Johnston attempted to pull away from the officers and said “he sexually assaulted me, he held me down and took my pants off then took his off.” However, when police noted the difficulty of holding someone down while taking both pairs of pants off, Johnston reportedly said the victim didn’t get his pants “completely off.” He also told the officers they “couldn’t” arrest him because they “didn’t find the wallet,” according to the complaint.
Johnston was then placed in a police vehicle for transport to the Clarion Borough Police Department.
Clarion Borough Police Chief William Peck was able to retrieve what is believed to be the remnants of a wallet from the fire, the complaint notes.
Johnston was arraigned in front of Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey C. Miller at 6:50 p.m. on Friday, June 25, on the following charges:
– Robbery-Threat Immediate Serious Injury, Felony 1
– Indecent Assault Forcible Compulsion, Misdemeanor 1
– Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Misdemeanor 2
– Theft By Unlawful Taking-Movable Property, Misdemeanor 2
– Simple Assault, Misdemeanor 2
– Tamper With/Fabricate Physical Evidence, Misdemeanor 2
Unable to post $250,000.00 monetary bail, he was lodged in the Clarion County Jail.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on July 13 with Magisterial District Judge Duane L. Quinn presiding.
