Mitchell special needs worker gets prison time for sexual contact with resident

Former LifeQuest employee barred from working at federally-funded healthcare facilities when sentence complete

A former development disabilities service worker will be sent to prison for two years after raping a client last summer in Mitchell.

Stacy Jo Johnson, 50, of Mitchell was sentenced Tuesday in Davison County Circuit Court to 10 years of custody with the Department of Corrections — with eight suspended — for engaging in sexual contact with a resident of community support provider LifeQuest who was incapable of giving consent, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

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Johnson, who worked at LifeQuest at the time of the July incident, initially faced two counts of sexual contact with a person incapable of consent charges, but pled guilty to one count in exchange for the second being dropped.

The maximum sentence for the charge was 10 years in prison. Both the Attorney General Marty Jackley and the victim’s family requested a sentence closer to the maximum sentence, according to Jackley’s office.

As part of the plea bargain, Johnson agreed to have her name placed on the federal exclusion list for healthcare providers prohibiting her from working at any federally-funded healthcare facility. She also was fined $1,000 and will have to register as a sex offender.

The Mitchell Police Department investigated the case.

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