Rosen: Deputy who committed suicide during Liberty County standoff gave full confession, admitting to child molestation

A Harris County Pct. 1 deputy constable who was involved in a six-hour standoff with Liberty County law enforcement on Wednesday, May 19, admitted to molesting two children before taking his own life, according to Harris County Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen.

During a press conference on Friday, Rosen said Sgt. Robert Johnson confessed to his crimes and implicated two other Harris County Pct. 1 employees for their involvement – dispatcher Christina McKay and Deputy Shonda Williams. Both women have been terminated, charged and arrested.

McKay, 45, of La Porte, is charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child. Williams, 43, of Houston, is charged with Sexual Abuse of a Child. Both are being held at the Brazoria County Jail and have bonds set at $200,000.

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The investigation into Johnson’s sexually deviant behavior began on Friday, May 14, after a supervisor for Harris County Pct. 1 questioned McKay about her poor work performance, Rosen said. During an interview with the supervisor, McKay implicated Sgt. Johnson of committing sexual abuse of a child, which then triggered an investigation by the agency’s Internal Affairs Division.

On Monday, May 17, the Harris County Pct. 1 Constable’s Office, in an effort to ensure transparency, contacted Houston Police Department to request an outside and independent investigation. HPD investigators soon determined that the offenses occurred in Alvin Police Department’s jurisdiction, so the case was referred to Alvin PD and Children’s Protective Services.

On Tuesday, May 18, investigators for CPS and Alvin PD went to Johnson’s home in Alvin, but he was not home, Rosen said. The next day, McKay called to say she was with Sgt. Johnson at a cabin in the Artesian Lakes community in north Liberty County.

“She claimed she feared for her life and he was suicidal. That same morning, Chief Harrison reached out to the sheriff of Liberty County and advised him of the situation and that Johnson was potentially threatening to kill himself and the dispatcher,” Rosen said.

A Liberty County sheriff’s deputy located Johnson and McKay at the cabin and watched as they left in separate vehicles. The deputy attempted to pull over Sgt. Johnson but a vehicle pursuit ensued. The pursuit ended almost as quickly as it began a few hundred feet away when Johnson’s vehicle was stopped on the FM 787 bridge over the Trinity River near Romayor.

For hours, Johnson held law enforcement at bay while he spoke to negotiators who tried to get him to give up peacefully. During that time, Johnson also confessed to his supervisor, Harris County Pct. 1 Chief Harrison, and provided evidence against his two coworkers.

“Chief Harrison spoke to Johnson for hours because it was important to us to try to prevent a suicide and most importantly to get any and all facts relative to this case that we could get from him,” Rosen said. “We wanted to know everything. We wanted to know who the victims are and how long this has been going on.”

Two victims were identified but Rosen believes there may be more.

Johnson joined the Harris County Pct. 1 Constable’s Office in 2013 six months after being terminated from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. According to Rosen, Johnson’s termination was related to an alleged “inappropriate relationship” he had with another adult.

Rosen said that Johnson’s termination wasn’t reason enough to make him ineligible to join the ranks of the constable’s office. Rosen added that he is a “second chance guy” who believes that people can overcome their mistakes if they are willing.

“There was a lot of people who spoke highly of him as a police officer. It’s pretty apparent that everyone around this guy had no idea he was a pedophile. No idea. Not his wife. Not his friends. Not his coworkers. Nobody,” Rosen said.

Before hiring on with the constable’s office, Johnson underwent and passed a psychological evaluation.

“There was no indication of any problems in his background until now. We went through layers of background and interviews with people that knew and worked with him at the sheriff’s office. He performed his law enforcement duties for eight years here,” Rosen said. “There was just no indication whatsoever that a guy like this had these demons in him.”

However, a woman who had a romantic relationship with Johnson for years, who spoke to Bluebonnet News with the assurance of anonymity, paints a different picture of him. She told Bluebonnet News that he was an abusive narcissist who preyed on vulnerable women, particularly those with children. With Johnson now dead and no longer a threat, other young victims may come forward, she said.

Another woman – an ex-girlfriend of Johnson’s – told Bluebonnet News that she had recently ended a relationship with him and saw no signs of him being a pedophile. Instead he had encouraged her through some very low points in her life. The two were involved despite the fact that Johnson was married.

In his statement, Rosen said Johnson will now have to answer to his maker for any crimes he committed.

“I can’t do anything for him. The only thing I can do is be here for the victims. The only thing I can do is care what happens to the victims in this case. I have called and spoken to the parents of these victims. I have been supportive of these victims,” the constable said. “All of us in law enforcement feel saddened and betrayed. Nobody, not even his own family, saw this. Imagine that – living with someone every day and not knowing who they are.”

Rosen thanked the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Rangers, Alvin Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Children’s Protective Services for assisting in the investigation.

See original article:

Standoff in Liberty County ends in suicide