After 77-year-old sent nude photo to a girl, investigators found crack cocaine in his home

ZANESVILLE − A local man will serve a seven-year prison term after sending a nude photo to a minor, which lead to search of his home and discovery of drugs, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutor's Office.

Gary Johnson Sr., 77, of Zanesville, recently plead guilty to one count of trafficking cocaine in the vicinity of a school or juvenile, a first-degree felony, as well as disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, one count of possession of cocaine, and one court of having weapons under disability. He received his sentence from Judge Mark Fleegle in Muskingum County Common Pleas Court.

When a 12-year-old girl received a nude photo of Johnson through social media in June she told her mother, who in turn reported the incident to Meta (Facebook) and local authorities. Meta reported it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which found the photo originated within Ohio. At that point, Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force became involved and determined Johnson had sent the photo.Zanesville Police Department Det. Brian Swingle obtained search warrants for Johnson’s home, which were served in October. There a large quantity of crack cocaine was discovered. Detectives also seized Johnson's cell phone, where they found the nude photo as well as social medal conversations with the minor child.

Johnson tried to claim he had been hacked, but more than 120 other conversations were discovered on the phone occurring over an extended period of time, where he would send the same photo to females, according to the prosecutor's office. In addition to the prison term, Johnson will forfeit the home he used to deal drugs at 951 McIntire Ave. to the county. His offense carries mandatory time, so he is ineligible for early release or judicial release.

“It is true to say that Mr. Johnson has a serious mental issue,” John Litle, assistance prosecuting attorney said. “The fact is that having a mental issue is not an excuse for continued misconduct that endangers and threatens the community. The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office thanks the victim and her mother in this case for taking the time to report the image and thereby safeguarding future victims of Johnson’s conduct.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Zanesville man, 77, sent nude photo to girl; investigators found drugs