Former Berrien County employee sentenced for child sex crimes

BERRIENN COUNTY, Mich. - A former Berrien County employee was sentenced after pleading guilty to producing child pornography and criminal sexual conduct, according to the Berrien County Prosecutor's Office.

Joel Todd Johnson, 61, was sentenced to the following:

• Seven to 15 years for criminal sexual conduct with a person under the age of 13
• Five to 20 years for producing child pornography
• 260 days and restitution for embezzlement from $1K to $20K

He must also register as a lifetime sex offender and wear electronic tether monitoring.

Johnson is the former Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds for Berrien County.

He was arrested in July 2022 after an 11-year-old girl discovered his cell phone recording her as she took a shower.

At the time, Johnson was a construction contractor and was hired to remodel a bathroom.

Investigators found over 200 images of child pornography, including some created in his home, on his laptop, according to reports.