Man found guilty of aggravated sexual assault

GONZALES — Kenneth Johnson, the man charged in connection with multiple sexual assaults of children in the Nixon area, was sentenced to 60 years in prison during proceedings before District Judge William Old Monday.
On June 30, Johnson, 40, was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, one count of sexual assault of a child and two counts of indecency with a child/sexual contact.
Officials reported that in September 2016, Johnson fled his home in Nixon after an outcry from an underage girl led to a warrant for his arrest. The charge was indecency with a child/exposure.
Days prior, Johnson had confessed to sexually assaulting two girls under the age of 14, and NPD Officer Jerry Airola arrested him — charging him with sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault.
Johnson’s arrest came two days after a witness came forward and told Nixon police he witnessed Johnson rape a “highly intoxicated” teen at a home in Nixon.
At 3:30 p.m. Sept. 22, 2016, Airola met with a 16-year-old boy at NPD who said he was at a party in 2013 when he witnessed Johnson having sex with a 14-year-old girl, who he said was “highly intoxicated.”
Hernandez and Airola took the victim to Norma’s House where she was interviewed by a forensic interview specialist. The interview confirmed she had been sexually assaulted by Johnson.
During Airola’s investigation, he contacted a 13-year-old girl who said she had also had a sexual encounter with Johnson. A subsequent interview with Norma’s House staff confirmed the assault.
On Sept. 24, 2016, Airola contacted Johnson and told him to meet him at the police station. During questioning, Johnson confessed to assaulting the girls. Johnson was arrested and transported to Gonzales County Jail. He bonded out the following day.
A few days later another female made an outcry to Airola claiming Johnson had sexually assaulted her as well. A warrant was issued for Johnson’s arrest. However, by then Johnson had left Nixon. Johnson was later found and arrested in San Antonio.
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Editor's note: To clarify, this is a 60-year sentence with two concurrent 20-year sentences — the 60 years is for aggravated sexual assault while the two 20-year sentences are for sexual assault. The 20-year sentences will be concurrent, meaning they are served at the same time as the 60-year sentence.