A convicted felon who allegedly switched identities with a fellow inmate to escape from the Clark County Jail in May appeared in court Monday to face an allegation of second-degree escape.
Michael Diontae Johnson, 30, was apprehended in Illinois a week ago by the United States Marshals Service. He was booked in the Jackson County Jail in Murphysboro, Ill., and then extradited to Clark County. Details on Johnson’s arrest were not available.
The prosecution said it likely will amend the latest charge against Johnson to first-degree escape.
Johnson was serving a 24-year sentence for kidnapping and aggravated assault in Arizona. He was in Clark County to stand trial in a 2014 domestic violence case when he escaped, according to police.
In Clark County Superior Court on Monday, Judge Robert Lewis appointed defense attorney Clark Fridley to represent Johnson. Fridley also is Johnson’s attorney in his pending 2014 case, in which he is accused of bail jumping, two counts of harassment-death threats, intimidating a witness and fourth-degree assault — all domestic violence crimes.
He is being held without bail until his attorney is present in court with him. Johnson is next scheduled to be in court Friday.
Johnson escaped from the jail May 12 when he swapped identities with inmate LaQuon Carson Boggs, 19, of Portland, who was scheduled to be released, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Johnson wore Boggs’ clothes and ID bracelet, signed Boggs’ name on paperwork and recited Boggs’ birth date before walking out of the jail at about 8:30 that morning, the affidavit said. Jail staff noticed Johnson missing during the lunch hour, when they conducted a head count.
The affidavit does not say how or why Boggs got involved in Johnson’s escape. Boggs was convicted in March of second-degree robbery and was given a 150-day sentence, according to Columbian archives.
It’s unclear how long the men had switched their identities, but Johnson assumed Boggs’ identity long enough to successfully escape, court records said. The two also had switched cells, the affidavit said.
Johnson’s Clark County case stems from a domestic violence incident in March 2014 when he allegedly made threats and assaulted a woman, court records show.
He posted bail in that case, but did not show up to court and was arrested later that year in Arizona for kidnapping and aggravated assault, for which he was convicted, according to court documents.
