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BELPRE - A Belpre youth soccer coach was arrested recently for allegedly disseminating a fabricated sexual image involving one of his players.
Adam K. Johnson, 42, of Belpre was arrested Sept. 24 by the Belpre Police Department and waived a preliminary hearing in Marietta Municipal Court on Wednesday.
According to the Affidavit of Facts written by Detective J.J. Whittington of the Belpre Police Department, Johnson allegedly posted to Facebook a modified photo of a juvenile's "face on an adult's nude lower body."
The juvenile's mother came to the Belpre Police Department and reported Johnson posted the picture on his Facebook Story on Sept. 16.
"(The mother) advised Sgt. Fields that the picture in question depicted (her daughter) from the neck up, but from the neck down was an adult female's nude body," the affidavit said.
The mother said the original, unedited photograph was posted on Facebook by a family member on Aug. 19. She told police that Johnson was her daughter's soccer coach.
"(The mother) advised that she was contacted by other parents with children on Adam's soccer team on (Sept. 16) to advise that Adam posted this picture," the affidavit stated.
The mother came to the police on Sept. 19 with four witnesses that either had children on Johnson's soccer team or were associated with the Belpre Soccer Club. The witnesses took screenshots of the photo in question, which they brought for police to examine.
While police were talking to the mother and the witnesses, Johnson called one of them and Fields was able was able to listen to the call.
"(Johnson) stated that his phone and bank account had been hacked," the affidavit said. "He stated that he took the phone to (Really) Cheap Geeks to try to remove anything regarding hackers on his phone and that he later got frustrated and smashed the phone and threw it out of the window as he was driving down the road."
Statements were gathered from witnesses who stated Johnson posted a picture to Facebook from a soccer fundraiser a brief time before the altered photo of the juvenile was posted. Multiple statements indicated people told Johnson he should go to the police and report the incident.
"One of the witnesses advised that (Johnson) told her that he had to lock up his guns from himself and talked about ‘ending it all,'" the affidavit said.
A search warrant was granted and executed at Johnson's home on Sept. 23. At the time, Johnson advised he wanted to speak to an attorney.
Additional charges for this case are likely at a later date, the affidavit said.
Johnson has no recorded criminal history, according to the document.
Johnson waived a preliminary hearing Wednesday that he waived, court personnel said. He was being held on $50,000 bond which was continued. The case was bound over to Washington County Common Pleas Court. He was ordered not to have contact with anyone under 18 years old. He has to be placed on a GPS monitor, the court personnel said.