House arrest for sheriff caught in trap

Former Kamloops sheriff confined to his home for a year after being snared in child-sex sting by vigilante group

A former Kamloops sheriff was sentenced to one year of house arrest Tuesday, after a vigilante group caught him attempting to arrange a sexual encounter with someone pretending to be a teenage girl.

Kevin Johnston, 50, was caught up in a sting by Creep Catchers, a citizens group that attempts to catch alleged sex offenders.

Johnston believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old girl when in fact it was a woman from the group.

He was arrested in 2016 and charged with telecommunicating to lure a child under 16, making sexually explicit material available to a child under 16, arranging a sexual offence against a child and breach of trust by a public officer.

Johnston previously pleaded guilty to breach of trust by a public officer, and he appeared in a Kelowna court Tuesday for sentencing.

At the time of the offence, Johnston was working as a deputy sheriff in Kamloops.

He used his position as a deputy sheriff to influence the person he thought to be a teenage girl, Judge Michelle Daneliuk said in court Tuesday.

“Mr. Johnston intentionally engaged in highly sexualized communications in a manner in which he was . . . reckless as to whether the recipient was an adult or a younger person of only 14 years,” said Daneliuk. “As well, he cultivated this . . . friendship with someone who created the persona of an individual who was vulnerable in that she was new to her community, she had no friends, she was lonely, she pretended to Mr. Johnston that she was left alone by her mother for days at a time.”

The Crown and defence jointly proposed a 12-month conditional sentence, to be served as house arrest.

Daneliuk accepted the joint submission.

For the first four months of his sentence, Johnston must stay inside his house or on his property 24 hours a day, with some exceptions.

He is permitted to leave the house for work or medical emergencies.

He is also permitted to leave the house with permission to complete 100 hours of community service that must be done by Oct. 5, 2019.

He is allowed out for 2 1/2 hours a day from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for errands such as shopping and exercise.

He is also permitted outside for two hours a day in one-hour increments to walk his dog.

For the last eight months of his sentence, Johnston is bound by a curfew from midnight to 6 a.m., except in the case of employment or a medical emergency.

During his sentence, Johnston is not to have any communication with nor be alone in the presence of any female under the age of 18 years, except in the company of an adult or in the course of a routine commercial transaction in a public place.

He must not access any social media sites and must not communicate with anyone under the age of 18 through a social networking site.

He is not to consume or possess any alcohol or drugs, and he was ordered to pay a victim fine surcharge of $200.

Johnston has good prospects for a full rehabilitation, said Daneliuk.

“Mr. Johnston has demonstrated considerable insight into his offending behaviour and a willingness to take the necessary steps to ensure this will not happen in the future.”

All other charges were stayed by the Crown following sentencing.