Stephen Johnson, a 40-year-old volunteer youth pastor, has been charged with trafficking and living off the earnings of a 17-year-old girl, whom investigators claim he coerced into prostitution. According to Local 10, Johnson was arrested by Plantation police and taken to bond court, where a judge set his bail at $500,000 and ordered him to stay away from minors.
Details from NBC Miami reveal that prosecutors allege the accused began his deceitful interaction with the young girl on a social media app, posing as a woman to facilitate the sale of nude content online. The alleged exploitation spanned across multiple states, including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Florida. Johnson, who has spent 12 years working with children aged 5 to 18 in Birmingham, Alabama, further enticed the minor to engage in commercial sex acts for money, a notion echoed in prosecutors' statements during his court appearance.
As the authorities dive into his background, a 2019 attempted rape and strangulation case surfaces, where Johnson was not convicted, reported by Local 10.
NBC Miami also quotes Victor Williams from Quest 2 Freedom, a nonprofit aiding trafficking victims, stating, "A lot of people that operate in these places and type of spaces with children turn out to be predators." His organization sees cases where traffickers manipulate and betray trust as routine occurrences.
Indeed, prosecutors express similar concerns in court, positing, "I don’t think it is safe for females in the community to have him traveling about, not knowing where he is," as per Local 10.
