New York officials said a man raped a woman last fall and returned to her house two days later in clown makeup to damage a video surveillance system.
On September 19, Joseph Johnson, 33, allegedly broke into several cars near a Long Island train station before forcing entry into a woman’s home and raping and choking her. Johnson also stole cash from the victim during the attack, according to the New York Post.
The homeowner reportedly placed several surveillance cameras around her residence after the incident. On September 21, the woman was alerted that the newly-installed cameras had been turned off.
According to Newsday, the various surveillance cameras were either damaged or turned away from the victim’s home. Wires connected to the recording device inside the residence were reportedly severed.
Newsday reported that video footage captured before the cameras were destroyed showed Johnson — wearing clown-style face paint — at the victim’s home.
Prosecutors said DNA and other evidence ultimately linked Johnson to the September 19 rape and burglary. According to the Daily Mail, Johnson’s Facebook page featured several pictures of him wearing clown makeup.
Per the state sex offender registry, Johnson has a 2015 conviction for first-degree forcible sexual abuse involving an 11-year-old girl. Johnson is a Level 3 sex offender — meaning he is at high risk of reoffending and poses a threat to the public.
Johnson was indicted Wednesday on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree criminal sexual act, first-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony, second-degree burglary as a sexually motivated felony, two counts of second-degree burglary, second-degree strangulation, five counts of fourth-degree criminal mischief, and petty larceny.
Johnson’s bail was set at $500,000. He is due back in court on March 9.
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[Featured image: Joseph Johnson/New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services; Facebook]
