A Brazos County district court jury this month delivered a guilty verdict in a case of aggravated sexual assault of a child that started in 1993 and continued for four years. According to the district attorney’s office, now 51 year old Michael Todd Austin was a college student and was involved in youth ministry when the abuse started. The original victim and a second victim who was identified by investigators testified at last week’s trial. Austin, who was living in Vermont at the time of his arrest, was sentenced by the jury to 63 years. It was Austin’s second sex crime conviction. The d-a’s office was not aware of the 1993 crimes when Austin was not sent to jail after pleading guilty in 1998 to indecency with a child.
A Calvert man has been found guilty by a Brazos County district court jury of multiple sexual assaults of a girl who was eight when the attacks started six years ago. Then the trial judge sentenced 52 year old Melvin Dwight Johnson to 50 years. According to the district attorney’s office, prosecutors during the punishment phase brought up Johnson’s criminal history and threats he made against the judge and one of the prosecutors. The victim testified during this week’s trial, along with the victim’s mother and grandmother.
Michael Todd Austin news release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
Michael Todd Austin, 51, was sentenced to 63 years in prison by a Brazos County jury Friday night. Austin faced a punishment range of 5 years probation up to Life in prison for criminal acts which began in 1993. Kyle Hawthorne was the judge presiding over the trial.
In March of 2018, the victim, who was in his late 30’s disclosed for he firs time that he had been sexually abused when he was a child. Austin, who was 23 years old in 1993 and a trusted family friend, abused the victim for more than four years. Austin was a student at Texas A&M University at the time and was involved in youth ministry at a local church.
After the disclosure, the victim received counseling and further disclosed that he believed others may have been abused by Austin. Investigators located another victim who also testified at Austin’s trial.
In 1998, Austin pled guilty to a separate charge of Indecency with a Child in Brazos County for fondling another victim while working at Los Hermanos Boys Ranch. Austin was given deferred adjudication for that charge. At the time of the 1998 disclosure, authorities were still unaware of Austin’s 1993 victims. Austin later moved to Tyler, Texas and then Vermont.
At trial, the victim testified about difficulties he faced coming forward and the devastating effects on his life as a result of years sexual abuse he experienced as a child. He also testified how Austin groomed him both prior to and during the abuse. As a result of the abuse, the victim has faced years of drug abuse, as well as
Melvin Dwight Johnson news release from the Brazos County district attorney’s office:
Melvin Johnson, 52, was sentenced to 50 years in prison by Judge John Brick on Thursday (June 10, 2021) after a jury convicted Johnson of two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child. Johnson faced a maximum possible sentence of life in prison.
On April 8, 2019, a 12 year old girl disclosed to her mother that Johnson had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions when she was 8 and 9 years old. Johnson was a friend of the child’s family.
Immediately after the child’s disclosure, her mother reported the abuse to the Bryan Police Department. Detectives scheduled a forensic interview of the child at Scotty’s House, Brazos County’s Children’s Advocacy Center.
During her forensic interview, the child gave details of the abuse that occurred when she was in the third grade. She told the interviewer that the abuse happened more than 40 times over that school year.
At trial, prosecutors called the child to testify and she described the sexual abuse in detail. Jurors also heard from the child’s mother and grandmother, as well as the forensic interviewer and a medical
professional from Scotty’s House.
During the punishment phase, prosecutors presented evidence of Johnson’s criminal history, including previous convictions for Burglary, Theft, and Resisting Arrest.
Additionally, prosecutors showed that, while in the Brazos County Jail awaiting trial, Johnson made threats against the judge and one of the prosecutors.