WMW 500th Capture, convicted rapist sentenced to 25 years in prison

SENTENCING UPDATE April 9, 2015 -- Convicted rapist Harvey Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Thursday. SENTENCING UPDATE February 24, 2015 -- Convicted sex offender Harvey Johnson pleaded guilty to a Tacoma rape in the middle of his trial in Pierce County on Tuesday. The 50-year-old was charged grabbing a woman from a bus stop at South 74th and Cedar Street in Tacoma on Aug 1, 2013, dragging her into the woods, and raping her. He pleaded guilty to five counts of rape 3. Johnson was caught in SeaTac by King County Detectives and the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force in March of 2014 after being featured on Washington’s Most Wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. Johnson was convicted in 1997 for child rape, where he grabbed a girl off her bike and raped her. He was the 500th fugitive captured since the show started in November, 2008. “The message here is that in this day and age, with DNA and Washington’s Most Wanted, you’re not going to get away with rape,” said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist.

TACOMA -- The arrest of convicted sex offender and accused Tacoma rapist, Harvey Johnson, marked our milestone 500th capture. Johnson entered a 'not guilty' plea in court Thursday, before a judge ordered him held in jail with no bail. Johnson wore a neck brace after falling off the top bunk in jail hours after his arrest in March. He went through major surgery and spent several weeks in the hospital. Johnson was was convicted in 1997 for child rape, where he grabbed a girl off her bike and raped her. Now, he's accused of another stranger rape, spotting the victim at a bus stop, grabbing her, dragging her into the woods, and raping her. "This is the defendant’s '3rd strike'," said Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. "He’s being held on ‘no bail’, and we’re looking to send him to prison for the rest of his life. The message here, is that in this day and age, with DNA and Washington’s Most Wanted, you’re not going to get away with rape.”

Johnson was caught on March 6 in Seatac by King County detectives and the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Apprehension Task Force. His arrest came less than a week after he was featured on Washington’s Most Wanted as the top fugitive for failing to register as a sex offender.