A Sacramento couple pleaded not guilty Wednesday to numerous charges related to the alleged sexual abuse of a child.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Danil Keith Johnson, 35, reported to detectives in October that there was video of the child “performing sexual acts” on Jessica Baker, 33.
Investigators said the notification of the content prompted an investigation, which later revealed sexual abuse of the child by both Johnson and Baker over multiple years.
One instance of the abuse, the sheriff’s office said, included Baker and Johnson making the child “wear revealing clothing and modeling for them.” The abuse escalated further, officials said. “The video is pretty disturbing,” said Ambar Vicente-Rivas, a detective with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
Vicente-Rivas said the victim is the child of one of the two defendants but could not specify which. She said the case reinforces how important a thorough investigation of these claims is.
“It is very important,” she said. “We do it for the kids. We want the best for them and we’re here to listen. We’re here to investigate. We’re here to protect them and we do the best we can.”
Vicente-Rivas said, at this time, there is only believed to be one victim. She encouraged anyone with information about the suspects, the case or with a history of sexual abuse to contact investigators as the investigation continues.
Johnson and Baker are named as co-defendants. They are charged with lewd acts with a child under 14, possession of child sex abuse materials, and use of an underage person for obscene matter. Both appeared separately to enter their pleas before a judge.
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged abuse dates back to 2019. Vicente-Rivas said Johnson and Baker were married but have since divorced. They were arrested Monday, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said. Johnson and Baker are due back in court on February 11.
