W.S. man charged for child abuse, assault

A Willow Springs man was arrested last week following an incident on Center Street on Sunday night. Willow Springs Police responded to a residence on Center Street at 5:35 p.m. on March 23 regarding a vehicle crashing into a neighbor's car, according to court documents.

 

On the scene, police found a 16-year-old boy with injuries to his face. The minor told police his stepfather, Darren Johnson, had assaulted him. The boy told police the incident began when he was out of the residence with his younger siblings in his mother's GMC Acadia on the way to meet some friends at the park to walk the family dog. After stopping at a store in town, he received a call on his cell phone from his father, telling him to "get the ******* Acadia home." The boy said he immediately returned home in the vehicle.

 

After the boy and his siblings loaded into the family's Jeep and put the vehicle in gear, he says Johnson came out of the house, opened the vehicle's door, and pulled him out. This caused the Jeep, loaded with two minor children, to drive forward and crash into the neighbor's vehicle. The driver said his three-year-old sibling had been just a few feet from the vehicle. He told police Johnson threw him to the ground and began punching him in the face. The victim punched his stepfather in the head, causing Johnson to retreat inside the house. The children's mother spoke to police as a witness of the incident, wanting to press charges.

When officers couldn't find Johnson inside the residence, they learned the mother didn't know where he went. When one of the officers went to circle the area, they located the suspect and took him into custody. After being read his rights by the officers, Johnson requested his attorney.

 

Darren L. Johnson is charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child creating substantial risk – first offense – first degree – no sexual conduct, abuse or neglect of a child, and third-degree domestic assault. Over the weekend, he was released from the Howell County Jail on a $25,000 bond.