Former Iowa pastor gets probation for abusing his daughter, who tells him to repent

STEPHEN GRUBER-MILLER   | The Des Moines Register

ADEL, Ia. — The husband and wife who adopted Rachel Johnson were both pastors. She came to live with them when she was 4. On Friday, Rachel, now 17, stood in a courtroom and addressed Randy Johnson, 53.

"Life wasn’t what I expected it to be like at Randy and Kathy’s. It seemed as if they didn’t care much for me. When I turned 12 years old, I had no idea what was in store for me," she said, recounting how Randy Johnson would touch her inappropriately when they were at home while they watched movies or TV together.

Rachel Johnson said she moved out of their house in Dallas Center and told someone about the abuse when she was 16. She said she's gone in and out of foster homes and shelters since then. Her adoptive father needs to acknowledge his actions, she said.

"Randy, if you read the Bible you have, you know forgiveness does not come from doing good things," she said in court. "It comes from repentance, which requires facing and acknowledging the truth about what you’ve done."

Randy A. Johnson was sentenced Friday to probation for child endangerment and indecent exposure. He entered an Alford plea to those charges, meaning he does not admit guilt but concedes that there would likely have been enough evidence to convict him. Prosecutors agreed to drop a slew of other charges in exchange for the plea.

Johnson will be on probation for three years on the charge of child endangerment resulting in injury and two years for the indecent exposure charge. Those terms will run concurrently.

The charges stem from accusations that Johnson sexually abused Rachel Johnson multiple times over a period of a year and a half when she was 12 and 13.

Johnson had been the pastor of Dallas Center Church of the Brethren for 14 years until he resigned just before his arrest in January 2017. The congregation has about 30 to 50 members.

As part of his sentence, Randy Johnson will be placed on the Iowa sex offender registry for 10 years and will be required to undergo sex offender treatment. A no-contact order with Rachel Johnson will be extended for another five years, and he will be placed on a special 10-year sentence of parole upon the completion of his probation.

After the sentencing hearing, Rachel Johnson said she felt that justice had been achieved.

"He got what he deserved," she said. "He definitely didn’t get prison time like I was hoping, but he did get probation and it will definitely be on his record, and that’s never going to go off."

Rachel Johnson said she told Kathy Johnson about the abuse multiple times, but Kathy never went to the police.

"I have always loved her and I will love her forever," Kathy Johnson said in response to a reporter's questions. She declined to comment further.

Randy Johnson initially faced a total of 13 charges, five of which were felonies and eight of which were misdemeanors. But prosecutors agreed to drop the rest of the charges in exchange for Johnson pleading guilty to the child endangerment and indecent exposure charges. Prison sentences of five years and one year were also suspended as part of the deal.

His lawyer, Aaron Hamrock, had asked that District Court Judge Terry Rickers grant Johnson a deferred judgment, citing Johnson's lack of prior criminal history and an exam that found him to present a low risk of reoffending.

Arguing against a deferred judgment, Assistant Dallas County Attorney Erica Clarke said the case has "torn this family apart" and noted Randy Johnson was in a position of power over his daughter when the abuse occurred.

While Rickers noted that he cannot consider any of the dismissed charges when handing down his sentence, he said the restrictions and sanctions accompanying the sentence of probation, including the sex offender treatment, are appropriate for Johnson given the impact of the offenses.

"I just cannot minimize your actions in this case by granting a deferral of judgment," Rickers said to Randy Johnson.

Rachel Johnson said she hopes telling her story will inspire others to speak up.

"I think that other kids, if they hear my story, will hopefully open up and tell an adult what they’re going through as well," she said.