Irvington man faces 18 counts of sexual abuse

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - An Irvington man was arrested Wednesday facing sex abuse charges. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said the victims were close to him and very young.

Lori Myles with the sheriff’s office said the details of this crime are too graphic to be discussed.

However, she said they moved as quickly as they could to get Jacob Johansen, 23, behind bars.

"All of law enforcement which includes the sheriffs office, the district attorney's office, and the Child Advocacy Center was in agreement that this man needed to be picked up right away," said Myles.

Wednesday morning they arrested Johansen at his mother’s house in Irvington. He was taken to Metro Jail.

"Hopefully, he will be there for a while," said Myles.

Johansen is charged with 18 counts of sexual abuse including rape and sodomy.

The sheriff's office said the victims were under the age of 12.

"He had been with these two children that was known to him for about a year. So, we’re thinking it had been going on for about a year," said Myles.

Myles said a teacher at the children's school noticed something was wrong. She then reported it to the Child Advocacy center and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office.

"There was a teacher that was paying attention to behavior that was not normal notified the proper authorities, and then the children were able to open up an say what they knew was wrong," said Myles.

The children are staying with a family member and getting counseling.

Myles said they are doing well.

Johansen will be in court for a bond hearing Friday morning.