Havre man arraigned on charges of burglary and rape

A local man has pleaded not guilty to accusations that he stolen from and raped an 81-year-old woman in her Havre home earlier this year.

Shane Clark Johnson, 35, quietly denied each of four charges during an initial appearance in state District Court in Havre Tuesday afternoon.

"Not guilty, sir," Johnson said as Special Master Eric Bunn arraigned him on charges of sexual intercourse without consent, theft, burglary, and forgery by common scheme.

Johnson has been incarcerated in the Hill County Detention Center since his arrest March 6. Bond is set at $200,000.

According to the charging document, police were alerted March 3 by a local bank that Johnson had attempted to cash a $200 check from the alleged victim's account. The check appeared to be forged, and bank tellers refused to cash it, the document said. Johnson fled the scene, leaving his identification card behind, the document said.

Officers investigated the incident and found that Johnson had cashed a $350 check from the woman's account on Feb. 28, the document said. They also found he had another check on Feb. 25 to purchase furniture and a paintball gun, the document said.

The check numbers matched those of nine checks that the woman had reported stolen, according to the charging document.

On March 4 officers interviewed the woman, who said she had employed Johnson to perform odd jobs around her house, the document said. The woman told police Johnson must have taken the checks, and that she also believed he had stolen her coin collection, the document said.

According to the charging document, police interviewed a local coin collector who said Johnson had sold him a large number of silver dollars on July 1 for $590.

The woman told police that Johnson attacked her on Feb. 16, the document said. The woman allowed Johnson into her home, the document said. While she was facing the sink, Johnson struck her in the head, forced her into the bedroom, tied her hands behind her back, and had sex with her, the charging document said.

The woman was able to escape after Johnson, who was intoxicated, fell asleep in another room, the document said. The woman contacted the police and asked them to remove Johnson from her home, the document said.

She did not report the assault at that time. Police removed Johnson and told him not to return to the woman's home, the document said.

On March 2, Johnson entered the woman's home, this time without permission, according to the charging document. Police believe Johnson entered the house through a broken window in the garage of the woman's home, the document said.

Police attempted to locate Johnson on March 4, after the interview with the woman. Officers served warrants at two locations but were unable to find him. He turned himself in two days later. He was arrested after being questioned by police, the charging document said.