Clara City man pleads guilty to criminal sex

MONTEVIDEO -- Cheyenne Clay Johnson, 42, of Clara City, pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Johnson was charged with assaulting a juvenile female Aug. 24 at a residence in Clara City. He allegedly later used a cell phone to report his own crime, triggering a search by law enforcement officers in the Clara City area.

According to the criminal complaint, Johnson had said he was on foot along state Highway 23. He was found about two hours later in a ditch along Highway 23 south of Clara City.

Two officers confronted Johnson and ordered him to drop a serrated knife he carried. They repeated the order several times before he dropped the knife, according to the complaint. Johnson was then taken into custody without incident.

His initial phone call to authorities had led a Clara City police officer to the juvenile female, and she was transported to a hospital for medical treatment.

The court has ordered a pre-sentence investigation be conducted, according to Chippewa County Attorney David Gilbertson. Johnson has been held at Chippewa County Jail since his arrest with unconditional bail set at $100,000.

He faces up to three years in prison.