Grand Jury returned an indictment against suspect…2 counts of Sodomy 2nd Degree

Eric L. Johnson

FLORENCE-The Florence Police Department issued a statement on the  indictment of a suspect by the Lauderdale County Grand Jury.  The suspect has been charged with 2 counts of Sodomy 2nd Degree:

“Eric L. Johnson
1302 Co Rd 457
Florence, AL

42 year old male

In late 2016 the Florence Police Department detectives received a report regarding possible sexual abuse at the hand of Mr. Johnson. The allegation centered around deviant sexual contact involving Mr. Johnson and male children between the ages of 11-15. Detectives immediately began investigating the allegations and presented evidence to the Lauderdale County Grand Jury last month. The Grand Jury returned an indictment on Mr. Johnson charging him with two (2) counts of Sodomy 2nd. Mr. Johnson was arrested yesterday and is being held in the Lauderdale County Detention Center on bond totaling $60,000.00 US.

To date, two victims have been identified in this case. However, based on our investigation we believe that more victims exist and we are continuing our efforts to locate potential victims. The evidence in this case found that the alleged actions of Mr. Johnson occurred in the mid to late 1990’s. That said, many of the victims may now be adults who feared to come forward earlier. Our commitment, as law enforcement, is to bring closure to victims in this case and seek for Mr. Johnson to be held accountable for his actions. We therefore ask that anyone who was victimized by Mr. Johnson contact our department. This investigation is far from over and we will continue to seek justice for the child victims in this case.”