Greenfield man sentenced to life in prison without parole in Adams County rape case

A Greenfield man was sentenced to life in prison without parole recently after a trial in Adams County Common Pleas Court, as reported this week by the People’s Defender.

According to the People’s Defender, Darian Johnson, 28, is from Greenfield and was living in the Peebles area. A jury found Johnson guilty of all eight counts as charged in an indictment in July 2023 following a trial that began Sept. 18. Those charges included:

• Two counts of rape, both felonies of the first degree; and

• Six counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, three second-degree and three fourth-degree felonies.

The indictment filed in July alleged that in June 2023, Johnson “did engage in sexual conduct” with a child victim under the age of 10. Also in June, it is alleged that Johnson “did … create, record, photograph, film, develop, reproduce or publish material that shows a minor participating or engaging in sexual activity.” For the fourth-degree pandering charges, it was alleged that Johnson “did … knowingly solicit, receive, purchase, exchange, possess or control any material that shows a minor or impaired person participating or engaging in sexual activity.”

According to court records, on Sept. 21, the jury returned a guilty verdict on each of the eight counts, as well as an additional finding that the minor victim was less than 10 years of age for both rape charges.

On Sept. 22, Judge Brett Spencer sentenced Johnson to life without possibility of parole on count one (rape), concurrent to a second sentence of life without parole for the second rape charge.

In addition, Spencer sentenced Johnson to a minimum six years (up to nine years, under the Reagan Tokes Law) on each of the second-degree felony charges of sexually oriented matter involving a minor, for another minimum of 18 years in prison to run consecutively to the life sentence.

Johnson will also be classified as a Tier III sex offender.