110 W. New York Ave.
DeLand, FL 32720
386-734-4622
DANIEL JOHNSON
By Jen Horton
posted Jan 10, 2013 - 4:47:26pm
Daniel Johnson — who came to the public’s attention because of his wife’s role at the Animal Rescue Konsortium (ARK) in DeLand — has been removed from the Florida Sexual Offender/Predator Public Registry.
Critics of the ARK shelter, which was raided by the DeLand Police Department Nov. 8, complained that one of the shelter volunteers — Johnson — was a registered sex offender.
Just two weeks before the raid, on Oct. 26, Johnson had been arrested by DeLand police and charged with failure to register properly as a sex offender. He had listed himself on police records as a transient, but had stayed at least occasionally at ARK.
Johnson and his wife were homeless, and ARK president Maggi Hall had given them permission to live at the ARK shelter in exchange for caring for the 126 animals on the property.
After the raid, the Johnsons’ situation was dire, as they had few possessions and no home, and had difficulty finding work. Daniel Johnson’s status as a registered sex offender made hard times even harder.
Johnson was convicted of sexual assault in Michigan in 1996 when he was 22 years old. He said the charges had been brought by a former girlfriend.
Florida’s Public Safety Information Act, which requires sex offenders to be registered and their addresses published on a state website, did not go into effect until 1997.
Johnson consulted with an attorney, who helped him have his name removed from the sex-offender registry. He’s happy to lose the label.
“I can live anywhere I want to,” Johnson said.
Most jurisdictions restrict where registered sex offenders can live. The ARK shelter is among locations in DeLand that are off-limits as a sex offender’s residence.
Johnson said he now has a good job, and he and his wife have a car and a new place to live in Orange City.
“Things are going good for us,” he said. “I’m happy.”
Depending on exactly where they live, the Johnsons’ trouble with Daniel Johnson’s past conviction may not be over.
In 2012, Orange City adopted a residency-restriction ordinance that applies to all sex offenders, whether or not they are listed on the state registry, and whether they were convicted in Florida or another state.
— Jen Horton
Reader Comments
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Why do you assume it has to do with a child?
Ignorance is bliss to you.
This is the only scenario where Florida offenders are registered for anything less than life.
Maggie Hall allowed young,female, teenage volunteers to work alone with him at ARK. How do their mothers feel about that?
Is it worth taking a chance? Maggie, would you have sent your daughters to volunteer with him when they were young? Probably! As long as ARK looks good in the public spotlight.
Some people that caught up in the Sex Offender title have done nothing more than pee in public and got caught by an aggressive cop or angry father.
Besides I thought most of you locals had regular sex with cousins and farm animals anyway!
What is really disgraceful is the spelling and grammer of some of the bloggers here.
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