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Girl raped at parish center
By LEANORA MINAI © St. Petersburg Times, published December 12, 1998
The girl, a student at St. Paul's Catholic School, was rescued by an assistant pastor and maintenance worker who grew suspicious when they noticed an open basement door. "Don't leave me," a voice cried out as the two men searched the basement. Moments later, the maintenance worker discovered a man standing outside the school. Using a pistol he retrieved from his vehicle, the worker held the man at gunpoint until police arrived about 4 p.m. at St. Paul Parish Center, 1358 20th Ave. N. Late Friday, police arrested Benjamin Jack Johnson, 48, and charged him with aggravated battery, burglary and three counts of sexual battery. The girl, whose name is not being published because of the nature of the crime, was at All Children's Hospital for treatment. "It's my understanding Sister Kathleen (Stagnaro) and members of the parish community were at the hospital working with the victim and family," said Brother John Cummings, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of St. Petersburg. As he was led to a cruiser, Johnson claimed he was a hero and that he had chased another man away. "I tried to stop him," said Johnson, a tattoo of a panther on his right arm and a dragon on his left. "I couldn't. He hopped over the fence and went to the left. As investigators led Johnson to the police car, the girl stepped from a red-brick building and quietly identified Johnson as the attacker. She then climbed into an ambulance. "We're certainly very, very sorry that this happened to this young lady," Cummings said. "We send our sympathies out to her and her family. The diocese is available to give assistance to cope with this terrible, terrible tragedy." Bill Doniel, St. Petersburg police spokesman, said employees told police they might have seen Johnson around the school earlier in the day. "They recall seeing this person in the areas before," Doniel said. Friday afternoon, Johnson got the girl inside the basement through a ruse, Doniel said. Johnson broke into the basement and stepped outside through a door while the girl took a break on the playground. "Come help me," Johnson called out, according to Doniel. She followed. On his rounds, a maintenance worker noticed an open basement door, Doniel said. The worker, whose name was not released, called assistant pastor Paul Mizener, and the two men inspected the basement. They found the girl, her skirt ripped off, lying on the floor, and a man standing over her, police said. They pulled the girl out of the room and locked the man inside the basement, Doniel said. The three of them went upstairs and called 911 at 3:55 p.m. While upstairs, the assistant pastor and maintenance worker realized there was another way out of the basement. They ran outside and caught the suspect. "The maintenance man goes and gets his gun and holds it on the suspect until the police arrive," Doniel said. As police officers led Johnson to a cruiser, the girl walked outside with a green blanket wrapped around her waist, her face battered and swollen. The girl's back was covered with a rust-colored dust, which appeared to be the same residue on the knees of Johnson's jeans. When asked about the dirt, Johnson said: "I tackled him. He pulled a knife on me." Johnson has been in trouble before. This past year, Johnson, who lives at 2539 Fourth Street N, had been cited or charged nine times with misdemeanor crimes ranging from carrying a concealed weapon to having an open container of alcohol. On Dec. 1, he was sentenced to six days in jail for loitering and prowling. Late Friday, officials of the diocese said they strongly emphasize school security. Entrances to all schools are locked and visitors must be buzzed in. Cummings, superintendent of diocesan schools, could not say whether the entrance to the parish center, where the pastor's office is located, was locked Friday. The parish center is not attached to the school. A parking lot and playground, which is enclosed with a fence, separate the school and center. "Security is one of the main emphasises for the Florida Catholic Conference," Cummings said. "They're the accrediting agency. Security is one of the standards that everyone must abide by." As parents pulled up to St. Paul's on Friday, they saw police cars and an ambulance. They were shocked to hear a girl had been raped. "Oh my god!" said Debbie Parks, whose son and daughter attend the school. "Right here in daylight? That's horrible. That's frightening." Police are asking that people who recognize Johnson call St. Petersburg Detective Kirby Fenton, 892-4071.
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T. PETERSBURG -- A 13-year-old Catholic school student was raped and beaten in a parish center basement Friday as schoolmates in an after-school program studied and played nearby. 