Martinez Man Took Daughter Along When He Allegedly Kidnapped Oregon Girl, 14

A Martinez man made his initial appearance in federal court Friday morning on charges of traveling with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a missing Oregon teenager.

Blake Robert Johnston, 41, was charged in a federal criminal complaint filed late Thursday, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The charges are the result of an ongoing probe by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Martinez Police Department, and the Salem, Oregon Police Department, with assistance from investigators in the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.

[Previous: Update on Martinez Kidnapping: Man Allegedly Had ‘Online Relationship’ With Oregon Teen.]

The filing of the federal charge came two days after Johnston was taken into custody at his Martinez home based on a warrant issued by authorities in Salem accusing him of fondling and luring a 14-year-old girl who was previously reported missing.

According to the complaint, Johnston met the Salem teen in an online chat room and began exchanging sexual text massages with her before flying to Oregon to meet with her earlier this month.

It was then that Johnson met with the victim and fondled her in a vehicle during her school lunch break, ICE officials said.

This week, Johnston took his juvenile daughter with him to Salem where he picked up the victim and transported her back to Northern California, according to ICE officials. Leads developed by Salem police helped officers from Martinez track the missing girl to Johnston’s home, where she was found in bed with the defendant.

[Previous: Missing Oregon Girl Found in Martinez; Alleged Kidnapper Arrested.]

“As this case underscores, parents need to talk to their kids about how to stay safe in cyberspace - cautioning them to always think before they click,” special agent for Homeland Security Investigations in San Francisco Tatum King said in a statement.

After forensic examinations on multiple cell phones owned by Johnston, authorities believe there may be additional victims.

Since Friday morning’s hearing, Johnston has been held without bond pending a detention hearing Monday, ICE officials said.

Anyone who has further information about the defendant or his activities that may be relevant to this case is asked to call Homeland Security Investigations’ national toll-free tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or the Martinez police tip line at (925) 372-3457.

--Bay City News