Santa Clara child molester who fled to Dominican Republic gets life sentence
Apollo Johnsen, 57, was sentenced to 240 years behind bars for repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl over several years.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - A convicted child molester who fled overseas to escape capture will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Linda Clark sentenced Apollo Johnson, 57, to 240 years-to-life for the repeated sexual assault of a young girl.
Johnsen, of Santa Clara, was captured hiding in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic earlier this year after a woman turned him in to authorities.
Prosecutors said in 2005 Johnsen began raping a 6-year-old girl. The sexual abuse continued until the girl turned 16.
The young survivor didn't tell anyone about the abuse until 2016 when she was hospitalized for a panic attack, authorities said.
Johnsen was arrested on June 29, 2016 at his home in Santa Clara. Five months later he was released on $1 million bail.
He last appeared in court in June 2019 when the court granted Johnsen a 3-month mid-trial continuance for a medical procedure – time that he used to plan his escape, officials said.
Johnsen never returned for the remainder of his trial and even though he was missing, he was convicted of 16 counts of child molestation.
The woman who turned Johnsen in to law enforcement wrote the Santa Clara prosecutor: "You don't have to say thank you. I AM A MOTHER. We are not all pure and have mistakes, but you can't close your eyes to that.”