Police: Football star charged with rape

DAPHNE, Ala. (WALA) - A star football player for Spanish Fort High School was back in school Friday, one day after being arrested for rape and sodomy. 

Daphne police arrested Spanish Fort football stand-out Deon Johnson Thursday afternoon and the charges are serious.  The arrest stems from an investigation that began after they received a complaint from the parents of a juvenile victim.

“Through the investigation, we had enough probable cause to charge Mr. Johnson with rape in the second degree and sodomy in the second degree,” said Lt. Jud Beedy with the Daphne Police Department.

According to police, the alleged crimes happened between December of 2011 and two weeks ago in the City of Daphne.  Johnson turned himself in at the Daphne Police Department Thursday afternoon and was then booked into the Baldwin County Jail. 

Beedy said although the crimes are very serious, he doesn’t believe they were violent in nature.

“We’re not alleging that he held anybody at knifepoint or gunpoint or held anybody down, “ Beedy pointed out.  “It’s more that he engaged in sexual intercourse with someone at least two years younger than him.”

Johnson is a star wide receiver for the Spanish Fort Toros and has already committed verbally to go to the University of Alabama. 

The Toros started off the season Monday night with a big win over the Daphne Trojans on national TV. 

Sources told FOX10 News that Johnson was at school Friday and was wearing his football jersey, but his future with the team and with the school may still be in question.

Officials with the Baldwin County School Board have not taken any action yet on the matter, but a spokesperson said that they are in the process of gathering facts from investigators and will take any action that is appropriate under the circumstances. 

Johnson was released from jail after he made the pre-set bond amount of $20,000, $10,000 for each charge.  

Spanish Fort High School officials said on Friday afternoon that Johnson would not play in Friday night’s game against BC Rain.