Illinois Man, Mom Charged in Alleged 3-Year Imprisonment of Teen Girl
19-year-old was impregnated during her imprisonment.
Aug. 25, 2012— -- Charges were filed today against an Illinois man and his mother in the case of a teenager who was allegedly held captive for three years, during which time the man allegedly repeatedly raped her and impregnated her, law enforcement officials said.
Steven Elliot Johnson, 25, was charged with promotion of prostitution, aggravated criminal sexual abuse, unlawful possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, unlawful Possession with intent to deliver cannabis, and unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon.
Owida Johnson, 54, his mother, was charged with two counts of child endangerment.
St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly, who announced the charges, said the investigation is continuing.
Washington Park police, assisted by SWAT teams from neighboring counties stormed the Johnsons' home Thursday evening, officials from two counties confirmed.
Cops also removed from the home two children and placed them in the custody of the state Department of Children and Family Services, Kelly said.
One of the children is reportedly the 2-year-old son of the victim and the suspect. The age of the other child has not been released.
"There was an enormous amount of evidence discovered at the scene. All of the evidence and material is being examined and will be presented to the state attorney in the next 24 hours for us to review," Kelly said.
The announcement of the charges tonight was the first time the suspects had been named. The name of the victim has not been released.
Police learned of the alleged abduction on Monday when the young woman escaped from the Washington Park house, outside East St. Louis, and alerted the authorities, according to The Associated Press.
The woman, now 19, was reported missing three years ago. Police spent the days in between corroborating her story before conducting the raid, according to reports.
Authorities confirmed that police were pursuing a sexual assault case against the suspect.
The suspect and victim knew each other socially, meeting at a party around the time she first went missing, Washington Park Police Chief David Clark told the AP.
"When she (soon) decided to go back to her parents, he wouldn't allow it," Clark said.
Clark said the man's mother allegedly helped keep the young woman captive and falsified medical documents when she delivered their baby.
