Guilty but not guilty due to mental disease: Man committed after attempted abduction of 7-year-old girl
MILWAUKEE COUNTY -- 26-year-old Marquis Johnson of Milwaukee has been sentenced to 25 years commitment to the state of Wisconsin's Department of Health and Family Services after he was convicted in connection with the attempted abduction of a seven-year-old girl in July of 2015.
Marquis Johnson
Johnson in May pleaded guilty, but not guilty due to mental disease/defect to a felony charge of forceful abduction of a child -- taking. A charge of kidnapping/carrying without consent was dismissed but read into the court record.
In court on Wednesday, August 10th, a doctor's report from June was reviewed, which found Johnson not guilty by reason of insanity.
He was remanded into custody, and advised that he must register with the Wisconsin Sex Offender Registry.
The attempted abduction happened on July 30th, 2015 -- as the seven-year-old girl played outside of her home near 17th and Highland.
"Abducting her in the way that he did is certainly traumatic for that young child," Judge Jeffrey Wagner said.
Police at the scene spoke with the seven-year-old girl, who told them she was playing outside her apartment building, and getting ready to go into her cousin’s house when suddenly, a man whom she had never met before, came up to her and tried taking her away.
The complaint indicates the girl asked the man what he was doing, and he said “come on.” The girl said “no” — and told officers that’s when the man picked her up “like a baby” and moved her.
The girl was able to kick and fight the man — and free herself.
The man then fled the scene.
The girl was able to identify Marquis Johnson as the man who attempted to abduct her.
The complaint indicates Johnson gave “several justifications” for picking up the child — including that he thought the girl and a six-year-old boy were “going off to have sex,” and that he was “checking to see if the girl was straight, and eating.”
Marquis Johnson
The complaint indicates during a line-up where it was “reasonable to conclude citizens, including the child victim would be present,” Johnson chose to expose his genitals.
"The defendant took it upon himself, in this hyper-secure setting, to drop his pants and expose his genitals. The two seven year olds who were watching the lineup saw this," Erin Karshen, prosecutor said.
The girl’s mother said the attempted abduction happened in just seconds.
“It still ain’t sitting right with me,” the girl’s mother, Tabatha Bridges said.
Bridges said, shortly after this incident, she was keeping a close eye on her seven-year-old daughter Andrea after the terrifying experience.
“I’m messed up!” Bridges said.
“He said ‘come here,’ and I said ‘no,'” seven-year-old Andrea told FOX6 News.
But the 25-year-old man scooped Andrea up — and tried to carry her away.
“I kicked on his arms then I ran to my mama crying and screaming. It really scared me,” Andrea said.
The girl’s mother called 911 immediately, and so did Gail Jones. Jones is Johnson's grandmother. She called police after she saw the surveillance video of the incident. She recognized the suspect as her grandson.
“Me and my daughter called — because I have granddaughters. I was just lost. Frozen. We left to go looking for him, and somehow he detoured back here. He said he was going to take the little girl because it’s his daughter and the mom is not taking care of her. I said ‘what were you going to do with her when you got her?’ He said ‘I was going to bring her to you Granny, so we can take care of her,'” Jones said.
Bridges said the suspect is NOT Andrea’s father. She said she didn't even know Johnson.
Gail Jones