North Dakota Man Sentenced for Enticement of a Minor

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Nicollas Troy Johnson, 25, formerly of Harwood, North Dakota, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 7 years in prison by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard, for coercion and enticement of a minor.  In addition to his prison sentence, Johnson will be required to register as a sex offender and serve 60 months on supervised release. 

In July, 2017 the Beatrice Police Department received a report that a 14-year-old girl had left a note at her home stating that she was running away.  The minor’s father also informed the police that his daughter had been messaging someone known as “Nico Johnson” via FaceTime.  After interviewing friends of the victim, police determined that on the morning of July 10, 2017, a dark blue SUV arrived in the area driven by an older looking male, and the minor entered the vehicle and departed the area. The friends did not know the identity of the male.  Through a review of the minor’s Facebook account, as well as open source databases, Beatrice Police investigators determined “Nico Johnson” to be the Nicollas Johnson, residing in Harwood, North Dakota.

Johnson was contacted at his residence in Harwood, North Dakota, and acknowledged being friends with the minor, but denied that the minor was at or had ever been to the residence. A search of his residence was conducted, and the minor was not located.  Later that evening, the minor was located and contacted at a Super 8 Hotel in Fargo, North Dakota.  The minor initially provided false and conflicting information about her identify and the reason she was in North Dakota, but eventually acknowledged her true identity and indicated that Johnson had picked her up in Nebraska and driven her to his home in North Dakota.  Johnson was subsequently arrested and admitted to his relationship with the minor.

This case was investigated by the Beatrice Police Department of Nebraska, along with the Grand Forks Police Department and Cass County Sheriff’s Office of Grand Forks, North Dakota.