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Metro-Atlanta rape suspect accused of posing as priest to lure victims arrested in Missouri, police say

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  August 24, 2022 3:47pm EDT
Dunwoody
FOX 5 Atlanta

Police explain M.O. of fake priest suspected of metro Atlanta rapes

Police said the suspect poses as a priest to gain women's trust before he takes them to a building to assault them. Police are on the lookout for the man.

DUNWOODY, Ga. - Police in Dunwoody said a rape suspect accused of posing as a priest to gain his victims' trust in is custody.

Police said Wednesday afternoon Marco Johnson was found in Maryland Heights, Missouri. He's awaiting extradition to Georgia.

The 46-year-old man was wanted for rape by the Dunwoody Police Department. He was wanted for crimes in multiple metro-Atlanta jurisdictions.

Investigators said Johnson would drive up next to a woman walking or waiting for a bus, talk to them, gaining their confidence by explaining he’s a "priest of EFY religion and a spiritual reader." 

Police said he offered victims a ride. Instead of going to where the woman wants to go, police say he took them to an apartment in Dunwoody. 

It is there where investigators said Johnson beat and sexually assaulted them.

"We would like to thank our law enforcement partners in Missouri for their assistance with the location and arrest of Marco Johnson," a statement from the Dunwoody Police Department.