Franklin man sentenced to life in prison for child rape

Paul David Johnston Jr.

Credit: Warren County Jail

Credit: Warren County Jail

Paul David Johnston Jr.

A Franklin man who reportedly claimed he had experience as an EMT to gain access to two boys he was convicted of sexually abusing was sentenced to life in prison.

Paul D. Johnston Jr., 35, will be eligible for parole after serving 10 years and was also ordered to register as a Tier III sex offender, according to Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell. Tier III sex offenders are required to register every 90 days for the rest of their lives.

The investigation began in March 2019 after one of the victims reported the abuse to Carlisle police.

“The victim reported that Johnston had engaged in sexual conduct with him from the ages of 11 to 15,” according to the prosecutor’s office.

The second victim then came forward and reported he was abused from ages 6 to 11.

Johnston reportedly abused the boys at his residence in Carlisle from 2011 to 2016. Both victims reported Johnston claimed he had experience as an emergency medical technician to access them, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Warren County Common Pleas Judge Robert W. Peeler found Johnston guilty of two counts of rape of a child younger than 13 and seven counts of gross sexual imposition.

“The level of depravity that Johnston exhibited with these two boys is truly sickening,” said Fornshell. “‘Abuse’ is too kind of word to describe his actions. He’s earned every single day of his sentence.”

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