MAN CHARGED IN ABUSE OF BOY, 11

Victor L. Johnson, a 38 year old Hempstead man, was charged April 20 with second degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and petty larceny after detectives investigated allegations that he drove an 11 year old boy to a church parking lot and inappropriately touched him.  The boy had been walking his broken bicycle along Long Beach Road in Hempstead about 6:20 p.m. April 19 when Johnson, of 155 Rhodes Avenue, pulled up in his green Ford Explorer and tried to help the boy fix the chain on his mountain bike.  Johnson suggested that he take the boy and the bike to a bicycle repair shop but the store was closed.  He then drove the boy to the parking lot of Our Lady of Loretto Church and at some point, touched the boy over and underneath his clothing.  The boy told him to stop and he did.  The boy then directed Johnson to drive him to a spot near his home, where he got out of the car and ran home.  Johnson drove off with the boy's bike.  The boy told his parents and they immediately called the police.  He was arrested when an officer stopped his car on Baldwin Road on April 20.  He is being held on $50,000 cash bail.

(New York)