Casper Man Faces Kidnapping, Sexual Assault Charges
A Casper man faces four felony counts including kidnapping and third-degree sexual assault, according to court records.
Roger Johnson, 50, heard the charges against him during his initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court.
Judge Brian Christensen set Johnson's bond at $100,000. He is currently on parole, Hambrick said.
He is charged with one count of aggravated assault, which is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment; one count of strangulation of a household member, which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment; one count of kidnapping, which is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment; and one count of third-degree sexual assault, which is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.
Johnson, was sentenced in January 2013 to an 18- to 24-month prison sentence after pleading no contest to one charge of aggravated assault against his girlfriend in June 2012.
It is not explicit in the police affidavit filed in circuit court on Sunday whether the victim in the current case is the same one from 2012.
The case started late Saturday afternoon when police responded to the Wyoming Medical Center about a report of an assault.
The victim told police she and Johnson had lived together, but he was constantly accusing her of cheating on him.
Friday evening, the victim went to bingo with her grandmother. When they were leaving, they saw Johnson parked behind her and he followed them to her grandmother's residence. Johnson grabbed her arm and told her they "'needed to talk.'"
He began driving to Wheatland because a friend needed a ride. During the trip, Johnson alternated screaming and crying, saying she was cheating on him and he loved her. He also threatened her with a large flashlight and a folding knife.
She considered jumping from the vehicle even through it was traveling at 80 mph. Meanwhile, the person in Wheatland who wanted the ride called saying he didn't need it.
Johnson and the victim returned to Casper. They drove to their apartment, where he grabbed a knife and held it to her throat. He choked her and unsuccessfully tried to force his way into her pants. Johnson then took her to her grandmother's house.
Later Saturday, she and some friends went to the apartment to pick up personal items. They found her clothes had been damaged with bleach. She contacted police.
About 11:30 p.m. Saturday, police found Johnson in a car near a motel on F Street.
Police took him the station where he waived his Miranda rights. He confessed pouring bleach on her clothes, but his stories about the drive to and from Wheatland kept changing.
He also admitted to using methamphetamine on Saturday before destroying the victim's clothing.