Johnson Sr. Pleads Guilty
Muskingum County- The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office said Gary Johnson Sr. appeared before Judge Mark Fleegle on Wednesday to plead guilty to one count of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
He also plead guilty to one count of trafficking in cocaine in the vicinity of a school or juvenile, one count of possession of cocaine and one count of having weapons under disability.
The Prosecutor’s Office said the 77-year-old received a seven year sentence. He will also forfeit the home he used to deal drugs at 951 McIntire Avenue to the county.
In early summer of 2023, authorities said Johnson Sr. sent a 12-year-old child an unsolicited sexual picture through Facebook messenger. The child told her mother who reported the picture to Facebook and law enforcement.
Facebook reported the picture and the data about the picture to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC found the picture originated within Ohio, reporting the picture to the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Ohio ICAC dug further and determined that the sender of the picture was Gary Johnson, Sr. from Zanesville. They referred the case to the Zanesville Police Department.
During a search warrant police discovered, a large quantity of crack cocaine amongst Johnson’s papers, birthday cards and effects. His cell phone was seized and searched and inside detectives located the offending picture, as well as the Facebook conversations had with the minor child leading to his sending the photograph.
