Teacher-Child Sex Case Widens

(Longview, Washington) On November 6, 35-year-old former teacher's aide at Hudson Park Elementary School in Rainier, Christine Marie Johanson, was indicted by a grand jury on 10 counts of third-degree rape, two counts of third-degree sodomy, 12 counts of second-degree sexual abuse and two counts of furnishing liquor to a minor. All charges resulted from an alleged months-long sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy.

Astonishingly, Johanson was booked and released into her husband's supervision. No bail, just go home and have your husband watch you, honey. Tell me there is no strong stench of bias in this case already. Imagine a man facing the same charges being told to go home and let his wife watch him.

But there's more. Johanson now is also being investigated by the FBI for taking the boy across the state line to Washington for purposes of sex. Consequently, the mother of two is facing possible prosecution in two state courts and federal court. Furthermore, additional details regarding the case appear to indicate that Johanson is obsessed with the boy.

From TDN.com:

A Columbia County police report and interviews with the boy's mother also revealed several new details in the case, including:

* The boy told police Johanson talked about running away with him to Mexico.

* The boy told police that Johanson said she loved him.

* Johanson wrote the boy's mother an apology letter.

* Johanson -- who worked with the boy daily in her resource room -- would drive the boy home after he was suspended, stopping to have sex on the way, the boy told police. He said Johanson sometimes told him in code to get suspended and then would appear as he needed a ride home. Some of the suspensions were for school dress code violations.

* The boy told police Johanson made him a CD with the love song "Every Time We Touch" on it as well as notes that read "I want you!" "I need you!"

According to the boy's mother, because of emotional and psychological problems, the 15-year-old was placed into counseling before anyone was aware of the alleged sexual relationship. It's also alleged that Johanson "had him convinced that nobody liked him except her."

Understandably, the boy's mother is pissed and has vowed to stop Johanson from ever repeating her behavior. We'll see. I'm particularly interested in knowing what the feds are going to do. Cold, federal prison would be a certainty for a 35-year-old man crossing state lines to have sex with a juvenile girl. The Johanson case, however, doesn't involve a man and a girl and it already has a bit of stink about it.

Companion post at Conservative Thinking.


[Update 07/18/07]

Johanson pleads guilty in Cowlitz County, Washington.


[Update 08/30/07]

Johanson sentenced in Cowlitz County.