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SANDY — Thirty felony charges have been filed against a former physician assistant, accusing him of being sexually inappropriate with multiple patients.
The charges come approximately three years after similar charges against Oscar Couprou Johnson — who at one time was named in a federal indictment in connection with the death of a NHL player — were dismissed, and less than a month after Johnson attempted to have his previous case expunged.
Johnson, 68, of Murray, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with rape, six counts of forcible sodomy, three counts of attempted rape, and object rape, first-degree felonies; 18 counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony.
The charges were filed on behalf of seven alleged victims.
From 2013 until February 2017, Johnson was employed as a physician's assistant at a Sandy pain clinic, according to charging documents. He was fired on Feb. 20, 2017, after a patient reported Johnson's alleged behavior.
"Once Johnson was terminated, more patients came forward with additional complaints of inappropriate sexual conduct," the charges state.
Johnson was first arrested in 2017. He was charged in December 2017 with one count each of forcible sodomy and object rape.
But on June 4, 2020, prosecutors were forced to dismiss their case after their victim passed away.
"Testimony from the victim was crucial in this case. As the victim is now deceased, her statements to police officers would now constitute inadmissible hearsay," according to their motion.
The case against Jonson was dropped. But the investigation continued as police believed there were additional victims. Just four months after the dismissal, Johnson filed a petition to have his court case expunged, according to court records. The case was not expunged at that time.
On Aug. 4 — 20 days before his new charges were filed — Johnson re-filed his request to have his case expunged.
"I have gone through counseling and therapy to improve my health. I have a character that is one of rationality, peacefulness and efficiency. I am a product and law-abiding member of society," he stated in his petition. "This will repair my reputation as a medical provider and allow me to provide uplifting work to the community as a Christian author."
But according to his new charges, Johnson inappropriately touched patients, had them perform sex acts and, in at least one case, had sex with a woman during her appointment. In that case, the woman had "lost her health insurance" but Johnson continued to provide her with pain medication, the charges state.
Another woman who was allegedly abused by Johnson said he once commented to her, "We need to get rid of that husband of yours," according to the charges.
Several patients told investigators that they were afraid of no longer being able to access pain medication, so they kept going to Johnson. One patient stated "he would take her pain medications and withhold them from her" if she didn't do what he wanted, the charges state. "Depending on what sexual acts she would perform, he would either give her all of her meds or just some of them. Additionally, Johnson threatened to poison her or her husband if she did not comply, and stated that if she ever told anyone what was happening no one would believe her because she is a drug addict."
When he was first arrested in 2017, police noted that Johnson "was fired from his previous job as a physician assistant due to a complaint of a sexual nature. He was also recently investigated by (the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing) and admitted he had engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with several patients on multiple occasions," according to a police booking affidavit. The licensing division revoked Johnson's physician assistant license in October 2017.
At one time, Johnson, was also facing federal charges in connection with the death of a former NHL player.
Johnson was a former medical assistant for the Utah Grizzlies, and made headlines in 2014 when he was indicted by a federal grand jury on 26 counts of illegally prescribing oxycodone and one count of making false statements to federal agents.
Johnson, who worked for the medical group that provided services to the team, prescribed 2,920 Percocet pills to Jordan Hart for over two years after the player was no longer with the Grizzlies, according to an indictment filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York.
Beginning in late 2010, Hart allegedly sold some of those pills to New York Rangers enforcer Derek Boogaard. Boogaard died of an oxycodone and alcohol overdose in his Minneapolis apartment in May 2011.
In 2016, Hart reached a plea deal and was sentenced to one year of probation and 100 hours of community service. Johnson was sentenced to probation in 2019 in connection with his federal charges.
