Andrea May Sahouri | The Des Moines Register

Wochit, Wochit

A former Harding Middle School teacher, Makenzie Johnson, accepted a plea deal in January after police say she tried to coerce a then-14-year-old student into sex, court documents detail.

The student's parents say that's not what justice looks like.

"To be completely honest, I think the whole situation has been swept under the rug and silenced," said Tashawnda Johnson, the student's mother. "If (my son) were to be white and she was black, it would be an uproar. People would be offering support and resources, things that we haven't received."

"The way the justice system handled this, it blows my mind," said Nick Logan, the student's father. "I know people in jail six to seven years for driving while barred."

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Tashawnda Johnson said her son was supposed to have a guardian ad litem, an attorney for minors, but was never appointed one. She also said no one from Des Moines Public Schools has had communication with the family since the initial report.

"Not an apology, nothing," Tashawnda Johnson said.

"The damage (Makenzie Johnson) has caused to my son is everlasting," she said. "I don't think he'll ever put this behind him."

{{props.notification}} {{props.tag}} {{props.expression}} {{props.linkSubscribe.text}} {{#modules.acquisition.inline}}{{/modules.acquisition.inline}} ... Our reporting. Your stories. Get unlimited digital access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

The former Des Moines teacher was charged in May 2019 with lascivious acts with a child, two counts of solicitation, assault with intent to commit sexual abuse, third-degree sexual abuse and dissemination of obscene materials to a minor regarding multiple incidents with the student, who is now 16, from November 2018 to April 2019.

A charge of enticing a minor was added to her case, according to July court records.

The plea deal Makenzie Johnson accepted Jan. 29, however, dismissed the charges of enticing a minor, third-degree sexual abuse, dissemination of obscene materials to a minor and assault with intent to commit sexual abuse. The plea deal also reduced the two felony solicitation charges to two misdemeanor counts of first-degree harassment, a sexually motivated offense.

The defendant entered Alford pleas to the harassment charges, meaning she did not admit guilt but recognizes that the state can prove the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.

Prosecutors will recommend a five-year prison sentence, with four years suspended, when Makenzie Johnson is sentenced March 10. Barring any new criminal activity,she would serve up to a year in jail and then two years of probation for the crimes, court records show.

Prosecutor unaware of parents' concerns

The sentence is a "slap on the wrist," the student's parents say.

Polk County Attorney John Sarcone said this was not his understanding of the situation; he said he had understood the matter was resolved in the best interest of the victim.

"That's the first that I've heard that," he said.

Sarcone said he would make sure the assistant attorney handling the case reaches out to the victim and his family.

Photo provided/Special to the Register

The sentencing won't change, however.

"We gave our word," Sarcone said. "Once an agreement is made, we stick by it."

Makenzie Johnson, who resigned in May 2019, wasn't the student's teacher; she was a special-needs teacher at Harding Middle School where the student attended.

She was accused of sexually assaulting the student while giving him a ride home in November 2018 after a sporting event. Court documents say she pulled into an empty parking lot and touched the victim over his clothes, asking if she could perform oral sex on him.

The student said no, and asked to go home. In response, she allegedly called him a "wussy-scardy-cat," according to court documents.

She sent multiple Snapchat messages to the student after the incident asking if he had told anyone about what had happened in the parking lot, the criminal complaint says. She allegedly said that if he did tell anyone, she would lose her job and her family.

Court documents also say Makenzie Johnson sent the teen multiple nude photos over Snapchat in 2019.

The student, whose identity will remain anonymous, told the Register she would beg him to have sex with her and would try to pull his pants down.

"I've seen the messages," his mother said.

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

Court documents detail other incidents as well, such as this one:

Just a few months before the initial charges were filed, the student and Makenzie Johnson were at her home watching TV when she allegedly touched the student's thigh while sitting next to him on the couch. The student asked her to move her hand because it made him uncomfortable. She then asked the student if he wanted to have sex with her. Her husband then unexpectedly came home.

Harding Principal Joy Linquist sent out a letter to parents in May 2019 in response to the investigation.

"We share your concerns," part of the letter reads. "This is an extremely serious matter, which is why the school district took the action it did immediately and has been working with law enforcement in their investigation."

When asked for comment regarding the plea deal, Amanda Lewis, spokeswoman for Des Moines Public Schools, said, "The district doesn't have anything additional to add at this time."

Teacher 'groomed' their son, parents say

The student's family met Makenzie Johnson at a middle school basketball game and claimed she groomed not only their son, but them as well by taking the "appropriate steps" to gain the family's trust.

She befriended the student and the parents, acting as a "mentor" to the student, they said. She would take the student all around town, sometimes with her own children, at places such as parks, grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters and even her own home.

"It seemed like she was trying to be a mentor and a friend to him, which she also became a friend to us as well," Tashawnda Johnson said.

One example: Makenzie Johnson held Tashawnda Johnson's youngest child in the hospital the day she was born. And at another point, Makenzie Johnson was a teacher to another one of Tashawnda Johnson's children.

"She always made sure she was present," Tashawnda Johnson said.

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

It soon became clear to the student that the relationship Makenzie Johnson was fostering with him wasn't normal, he said. He told the Register Makenzie Johnson would confide in him, as if he were her therapist, and ask him to help resolve issues between her and her husband.

"She told me they aren't sexually active, and they hadn't slept in the same bed in over seven years," the student said. He added the couple would often offer him marijuana and alcohol.

'We have forgotten about the victim'

The student was an outgoing older brother of several siblings before the alleged sexual abuse began. His mother said he used to play basketball and football and had a strong bond with his siblings.

Now, he's completely withdrawn, she said, and has attempted suicide. Although he is in counseling, there are still days he doesn't leave his room to eat dinner. He no longer talks much with his siblings, and it's hard for him to trust even his parents, she said.

"He hasn't been to school in months. He can't step foot in school," Tashawnda Johnson said.

The plea deal has made things worse, said his parents and the student's therapist, Kenneth Cameron. They feel neglected by the school system and the justice system.

"This is going to set him back in ways that we can't even imagine, Cameron said. "They just made him relive every last single ounce of it. They are ripping up open wounds."

"This is a situation where we have forgotten about the victim," Cameron said.

He, too, thinks the plea deal is too lenient.

Bryon Houlgrave/The Register

"We have a child who has been traumatized, and the justice system hasn't responded that way. What we can do now is teach him how to cope, but he'll never forget."

Tashawnda Johnson said she holds a lot of guilt for what has happened to her son. She finds it hard to sleep at night and to trust people.

"I feel like I failed to protect my son. As a mother that is a hard pill to swallow," she said.

She said her son feels guilty, although he shouldn't.

"He has a big heart.," she said. "I can't tell him enough how much she took away from him. In no point in time is this his fault."

Andrea Sahouri covers breaking news for the Des Moines Register. She can be contacted at asahouri@registermedia.com, 515-284-8247 or on Twitter at @andreamsahouri.