Waco bounty hunter used ‘perceived authority’ to sexually assault woman: affidavit

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Larry Johnson, 54, is charged with sexual assault after he allegedly raped a woman he detained while acting as a bounty hunter, a Waco police detective wrote in an affidavit for arrest obtained by KWTX.

The victim on March 24, 2020, reported to Waco police officers that Johnson sexually assaulted her near South 11th Street and Clay Avenue, where Johnson allegedly presented credentials identifying him as a bounty hunter ordered to capture her.

Johnson allegedly forced the woman into his vehicle and drove to a remote parking lot in Waco where he sexually assaulted the woman, the affidavit states.

The victim quickly completed a SAFE exam and police were able to obtain DNA evidence.

Investigators soon learned the bounty hunter who had been operating in the area where the woman was sexually assaulted was “likely Mr. Larry Lee Johnson,” the arrest affidavit states. Officers tracked down Johnson, who was “operating a motor vehicle matching the description” provided by the victim, the document further states.

“The investigation stalled in 2020 and was suspended without an arrest,” the court document reveals.

In Oct. 2022, investigators learned there was a “DNA correlation match” between evidence from the victim’s 2020 SAFE exam and evidence from vulva swabs collected during a separate sexual assault investigation in July 2022.

Investigators “researched that investigation and learned the suspect in that case (July 2022) was also the defendant (Johnson),” the affidavit claims.

Johnson’s DNA was collected as part of the July 2022 sexual assault investigation. When it was directly compared to the evidence collected during the SAFE exam in the 2020 case, Johnson’s “DNA matched to a high degree of certainty,” the affidavit states.

“The defendant (Johnson) is a suspect in multiple sexual assaults, and (investigators) believe the defendant used his perceived authority as a bounty hunter to target the victim and sexually assault her in his vehicle.”

A clerk at the McLennan County Detention Center confirmed to KWTX that Johnson was released from jail on March 21, 2023 after posting a $10,000 bond.

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