Denver — The known sex offender who was arrested last week for allegedly pulling a women into the bushes just off the Platte River Trail and sexually assaulting her has now been charged with 10 other offenses for a pair of attacks in Denver that happened on back-to-back days in March.
Johnny Dewayne Harris, 48, has been sought by the Denver Police Department since March 27, when the district attorney’s office said he walked into a bookstore on Broadway and assaulted an employee while holding her at knifepoint.
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That woman was able to fight him off and sustained a cut to her hand in the process, according to an arrest warrant the Denver Police Department provided to 9NEWS on Tuesday.
Harris is also the suspect in another assault that happened the day before, on March 26.
According to the warrant, police officers found the victim in this case at a convenience store on South Federal Boulevard at around 1:20 a.m. She had a bloody nose, black eyes and cuts on her face.
The woman told police she had been at 20th and Arapahoe streets and was on the phone asking for a ride when a man overheard her and offered to take her home. The woman told police she agreed and got into his car.
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That’s when the victim told police Harris drove her behind a building near the river, threatened her with a knife and sexually assaulted her.
The victim ran away from Harris when he took her to a convenience store to get cigarettes.
Police later found footage of Harris on surveillance videos, and determined that he had a white Toyota Camry.
This was the same vehicle Harris was seen using to flee the Broadway assault, according to the warrant.
Harris’ sex offender registry listed him as a transient who typically sleeps in his vehicle near 20th and Arapahoe. The warrant said he worked for a painting company, but hadn’t shown up since March 26. His girlfriend also told police she hadn't heard from him.
Harris’ Camry was later found in the parking lot of the King Soopers at 1331 Speer Blvd, according to the warrant.
Police asked for the public’s help finding Harris following the back-to-back assaults, however, they were not able to take him into custody until July 26 following an attack in Littleton.
In that case, Harris is accused of placing a rope around the victim’s throat and dragging her off of the trail. The woman was able to run away after knocking off his glasses, and she flagged down some bicyclists.
Those bicyclists helped police find and arrest Harris.
His criminal history dates back to 1999, when he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old in Texas.
Harris made his way to Colorado when he was released, and received an 18-month sentence for exposing himself in Denver in 2016.
In addition to charges for the Littleton assault, Harris has now been charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of second-degree assault, second-degree kidnapping, two counts of menacing, two counts of third-degree assault and criminal attempt to commit sexual assault in Denver.
He appeared in Arapahoe County court on Tuesday morning, and will appear in Denver County Court on Aug. 13.
