Man accused of kidnapping and assaulting ex-girlfriend appears in court

Daniel Johnson slouched and covered his face when Superior Court Judge Annette Plese set bond at $150,000 Monday afternoon.

The 48-year-old is accused of videotaping his ex-girlfriend in his Spokane Valley mobile home while he berated and beat her, according to court documents. All the while, the woman, who was bound at the wrists with copper wire, cried out in pain and told him to stop.

Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies discovered the video during a routine traffic stop of Johnson’s vehicle on Oct. 9. After a brief pursuit, Johnson abandoned the vehicle with a shotgun and a phone inside. The phone, deputies wrote in a search warrant, was on and when activated, was already open to the video.

In it, the woman appears to be tied up in the rear bed area of the mobile home, deputies wrote. Johnson’s voice is heard accusing her of cheating. The woman pleads with “DJ” to stop and tells him she “belongs” to him when prompted by Johnson. At one point, she yells “Ow, ow, ow,” as the video comes to an end.

The same night the phone was discovered, the woman checked herself into Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. She was “covered in bruises” and suffering from a gunshot wound to her leg. Deputies said the woman wasn’t forthcoming with information and refused to tell them who shot and beat her.

After a 10-day manhunt, deputies arrested Johnson at 5550 N. Mayhew Road on Thursday. He was charged Friday with first-degree assault and first-degree kidnapping.

Johnson has an extensive criminal history in Spokane County, including burglary and car theft.