Man who used dog-walking app to lure teen, demand sex pleads guilty

MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — A man who used a popular dog-walking app to lure a teenager to his home to demand sex has pleaded guilty, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

Charles Johnson, of Mount Vernon, pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted sex abuse, a felony, in the May 3, 2018, incident, the DA said.

Johnson, who was 39 at the time, used Rover.com, a popular pet-care hiring app, to lure a victim, described by the DA as a teenage woman, to his Mount Vernon home on May 3 under the pretense that he needed a dog sitter, officials said.

He groped the teen as he trapped her behind a locked door, offered money for sex acts and exposed himself.

The teen freed herself and called police.

Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 22.

Prosecutors previously said they were investigating other incidents over the three years prior in which flyers were posted near schools and on Craigslist in Mount Vernon and Yonkers.

The ads were meant to lure teenagers and women to perform “jobs” for money, and included asking someone to videotape a workout and act as a “cheerleader,” and another seeking an “amateur painter” to paint the interior of a home, the DA said.

The DA did not address the Craigslist investigation on Thursday.

via: https://pix11.com/2019/01/17/man-who-used-dog-walking-app-to-lure-teen-demand-sex-pleads-guilty-da/

Photo Credit: Charles Johnson, of Mount Vernon, used a dog-walking app to lure a girl to his home for sex on May 3, 2018, officials said. (Westchester County District Attorney’s Office)