BERKELEY, CA — Sean C. Johnson, 40, of Hayward, was arrested on July 4 for allegedly committing a sexual assault in downtown Berkeley. The attempted rape occurred inside an elevator at an apartment building. Johnson is being held at Alameda County Santa Rita Jail without bond for the time being.
According to Berkeley police the incident happened at about 3 p.m. Johnson allegedly followed a woman inside the elevator, exposed himself, and physically assaulted her. The victim escaped when the elevator doors opened on the next floor, and she phoned the police.
Responding officers cordoned off a block in downtown Berkeley, and found Johnson hiding inside a nearby parking garage. Johnson was placed under arrest at 3:36 p.m., without further incident and was later booked into custody at the Santa Rita Jail at 7:11pm.
Johnson is charged with burglary (for entering the elevator), false imprisonment by violence, sexual battery, and assault with intent to commit rape. He is also charged with possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Court records indicate Johnson is an habitual offender. He was convicted in 2007 for first-degree residential burglary. He has more prior convictions for property crimes, drug possession, and probation/parole violations spanning two decades.
This marks the second time this month that Johnson has been arrested. On July 2, BART police arrested Johnson for sexual battery, and contempt for disobeying a court order.
Johnson has an extensive arrest history, with public records showing well over 40 arrests in Alameda county since 2019. He has prior arrests on his record for battery, burglary, drugs, grand theft, public intoxication, and trespassing. Johnson has repeatedly been arrested for violations of parole/probation, which led to short term incarceration, before being released from custody.
– by Jim Emerson
