A 57-year-old Greencastle woman already listed on Pennsylvania’s sex offender registry is facing new charges after a teenage Sheetz employee told police the woman followed her into the store’s restroom, hugged her without permission multiple times, and repeatedly asked her to come to her house.
Julie Johnson allegedly tried to lure the teenage worker to her home in Franklin County, according to ABC27, which reports that police describe Johnson as a convicted sex offender. The alleged conduct unfolded at the Sheetz convenience store at 215 West Baltimore Street in Greencastle Borough, according to Tri-State Alert, which identifies the charged woman as Julie Ann Johnson.
Teen Says She Was Followed and Touched Over Several Days
Per the affidavit, the teenage employee reported that Johnson touched her shoulder and hugged her without permission approximately five or six times on October 17, and again the following day, per the same account from Tri-State Alert. The employee also said Johnson had followed her into the bathroom multiple times before that, according to the affidavit cited in ABC27’s report.
The situation escalated on October 26, when the station reports Johnson followed the teenage employee into the Sheetz bathroom in Greencastle Borough. During that encounter, per the affidavit, Johnson asked the employee to come back to her home — a request the teen reported to investigators, according to the station’s account.
Officer Files Affidavit, Woman Already a Registered Offender
A Greencastle Borough police officer filed an affidavit of probable cause on Monday, according to ABC27’s reporting. The affidavit notes that Johnson was convicted of unlawful contact with a minor on September 30 and is classified as a Tier 2 offender on the Megan’s Law registry — meaning she had already been through the court system on a related offense just weeks before the new allegations surfaced.
Johnson now faces misdemeanor charges of luring a child into a motor vehicle, corruption of minors and stalking, along with summary charges of harassment and disorderly conduct, according to court records cited by ABC27. Under Pennsylvania law, the luring statute covers attempting to lure a child — defined as anyone under 18 — into a motor vehicle or structure without a parent or guardian’s consent, according to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. The offense is generally classified as a first-degree misdemeanor, rising to a second-degree felony if the child is under 13, per the same statute, which also allows an affirmative defense if the attempt was for a lawful purpose.
Arraignment, Bail and Next Court Date
Johnson was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Duane Cunningham and taken to Franklin County Jail, ABC27 reports. Bail was set at $50,000, and a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for November 10.
Tri-State Alert notes that the allegations remain pending in court and that Johnson is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
