By SYDNEY KENT
A man who attempted to solicit a 14-year-old at Kroger will spend three years in prison.
Thomas Garand Johnson, 36, was sentenced to five years at the Indiana Department of Correction with two years suspended.
With 101 days of jail credit towards his sentence and good time credit while in prison, Johnson will be released in less than two years.
In June, Johnson was charged with one count of child solicitation, a Level 4 felony. According to a probable cause affidavit, Johnson reportedly drove from Fort Wayne to Kroger in Bluffton to meet who he believed to be a 14-year-old boy. Instead, Johnson was met by a decoy from Predator Catchers Indianapolis.
A group member explained that the confrontation with Johnson was not recorded, unlike almost all other cases, because he was quickly attempting to leave the property.
Johnson pled guilty to the charges only two months later.
The group has become known in Wells County and surrounding areas in the state. Johnson was the 14th suspect to be arrested through decoy-sting arrangements.
Patrick Langland, Ronald Comer, Austin Travis Wayne Phillips and Jill Sweeney received the same charge: a Level 4 felony for child solicitation. All four suspects were sentenced to six years in prison with three years suspended.
Johnson was the second subject recommended for participation in the Sex Offender Management and Monitoring program while incarcerated. Ten additional cases are still pending.
sydney@news-banner.com
