Man charged after allegedly taking Iowa teen reported missing to North Carolina home

Date:2025-08-20 09:00:36 Category:US Views:1 Comment:0

FAIRFIELD, Iowa — A man has been charged after allegedly picking up an Iowa teen who was later reported missing and taking her to a North Carolina home.

Over the weekend the Fairfield Police Department announced that a teenage girl was reported missing. According to a post shared on the police department’s Facebook page, the 15-year-old was later found over 15 hours away in Rockingham County, North Carolina.

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The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said they had been contacted by the Fairfield Police Department about the missing teen possibly being in Rockingham County. According to law enforcement, an investigation discovered the teen, and a North Carolina man had been communicating through online texting apps, and that the man had picked up the teen in Fairfield and took her to a North Carolina residence.

Deputies arrived at the residence, located in Reidsville, and found the teen. The sheriff’s office said the teen’s parents are traveling to North Carolina to be reunited.

The man who law enforcement say took the teen was also found at the residence and taken into custody. He has been identified as 25-year-old John Michael Johnson and has been charged with felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and felony solicitation by computer.

The sheriff’s office, the Fairfield Police Department along with several other agencies continue to investigate the incident.