Cape man faces statutory sodomy charge

~ Eric Johnson reportedly sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl over a two-year period.

A Cape Girardeau man convicted of sodomy against a young girl in 1995 is accused committing the same crime between 1995 and 1997.

Eric L. Johnson, 30, of 813 S. Sprigg St., was charged Tuesday with four counts of first-degree statutory sodomy.

According to the probable-cause statement, Johnson reportedly sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl over a two-year period in a Sikeston, Mo., residence.

The Sikeston Department of Public Safety arrested Johnson Feb. 8 after investigating a report from the Missouri Children's Division about the reported assaults and a written statement from the victim.

Johnson is serving a 30-day jail sentence in the Cape Girardeau County Jail for failing to register as a sex offender for his 1995 conviction.

Sgt. Sharon Jones of the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department said Johnson registered only once on Oct. 18, 2000, a month after he was arrested on a probation violation warrant and subsequently charged with third-degree domestic assault.

He pleaded guilty to that charge on Feb. 20, 2001, and was placed on probation. At that time, he listed his address as 813 S. Sprigg St. but had not reported his new address to the sheriff's department, she said.

Following his 1995 conviction, Johnson served 120 days in jail followed by probation, which he subsequently violated. He began serving the full sentence in March 2001, and was released from the prison in July 2005.

While Johnson was in prison, his local probation officer turned him in for failing to report, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. The warrant was recalled Jan. 20, 2005, with the notation that the court was "unable to locate defendant."

Johnson's status was discovered after Cape Girardeau police investigated an anonymous tip that gave police his address, Sgt. Barry Hovis said.

Staff writer Rudi Keller contributed to this report.

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