Gary Man Sentenced For Kidnapping
Jaron Johnson, 23, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon on his plea of guilty to kidnapping, announced United States Attorney Clifford D. Johnson.
Johnson was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.
According to documents in the case, on the night of April 14, 2019, Johnson participated in the kidnapping of a woman hoping to elicit information as to the whereabouts of a witness in his brother’s upcoming criminal case. Johnson participated in forcing the victim into a car at gunpoint, blindfolding and duct-taping her, and driving her around. The victim was beaten and threatened when she would not provide the information. At one point, the vehicle stopped, and another individual entered the back seat and continued beating the victim. A short time later the victim was dragged from the car to an area behind a house where one of the perpetrators shot her in the face and arm, and left her for dead, but she survived the attack.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Gang Response Investigative Team with the assistance of the Gary Police Department, Indiana State Police, and Lake County Prosecutor’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael Toth and former Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Mahoney.