ISP Investigation Nets Child Solicitation Charge
An investigation by Indiana State Police began in February when the father of a 13-year-old girl found sexually explicit text messages on his daughter’s phone from a 55-year-old man.
On Wednesday, Kosciusko County Sheriff’s deputy Shane Bucher served a warrant at 9732 Excalibur Place, Cromwell, and took two people into custody.
Ricky Linn Johnson, 55, was booked on a $5,000 bond for contributing to the delinquency of a minor and child solicitation. His girlfriend, Rebecca Ann Stidwell, 39, of the same address, was also arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Her bond was also set at $5,000.
According to the probable cause affidavit, the 13-year-old girl’s father reported to the Indiana Department of Child Services in February that he had found a number of inappropriate text messages on his daughter’s cell phone. On March 5, Indiana State Police met with the girl’s mother who said there approximately 70 messages that were sent to her daughter’s phone from Johnson’s cell phone.
The messages included specific information from Johnson saying he wanted to have sexual intercourse and perform sex acts on the girl. Several people, including the girl’s parents and siblings, also saw the messages. The girl admitted to police that on one occasion in February she and Johnson did kiss on the lips and Johnson asked her if she wanted to have sex.
During the course of the investigation, ISP learned that on at least three different occasions Johnson and/or Sidwell also purchased alcohol and served it to the girl and as many as nine other juveniles. Sidwell, according to the girl’s statement to police, also gave the teen a Xanax and a downer pill.
Johnson admitted to the investigating officer that he did provide alcohol to the girl and nine other minors and he possibly smacked the girl on her rear end, but couldn’t remember. He denied sending the texts to the teen’s phone, claiming someone else did that.