KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — UPDATE THURSDAY: A Grainger County man faces certain prison time after a jury convicted him Thursday afternoon in the aggravated kidnapping and rape of a University of Tennessee student in January 2021.
Tylar S. Johnson, 29, had been free on bond but was immediately ordered into custody after jurors returned the verdict. The jury heard the five-count case against him this week.
Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword set Nov. 10 for sentencing.
Jurors told Sword they had a verdict about 3 p.m. Thursday, mere hours after getting the case.
They had one question for the judge Thursday afternoon, seeking clarification about the meaning of the phrase "physically helpless" in the context of the victim at the time of the crimes.
When Johnson encountered the 19-year-old stumbling in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, she was intoxicated and vulnerable, authorities said. Johnson spotted her and figured she was easy prey, authorities contend.
Johnson still faces prosecution in a separate incident that occurred in June 2021.
He's accused of false imprisonment and harassment stemming from a confrontation with a woman while she was with coworkers in the Old City area.
PREVIOUS STORY: A man is facing trial this week on rape and kidnapping charges after authorities said he picked up a 19-year-old University of Tennessee student from outside a house party in the Fort Sanders neighborhood and drove her more than 20 miles to Grainger County in January 2021.
Knox County Criminal Court Judge Steve Sword is presiding over the trial for Tylar Johnson, 29.
Police said Johnson had previously been banned from UT property because of an incident from 2018.
In January 2021, Johnson told officers he was leaving a party and noticed the young female student stumbling on the road in Fort Sanders. He said he drove her around the UT area and then to Blaine, but said he did not take her into his home.
Records show the woman's roommate reported her missing and used an iPhone app to track her location. The app showed her phone in the Fort Sanders neighborhood, then to Blaine, then back to Fort Sanders.
Johnson told authorities that he did not initiate any physical contact with her, but said she jumped into his lap while he was driving on Rutledge Pike. According to the police report, the student was intoxicated and "could not produce many details."
However, she told officers that she didn't know the driver and could not remember how she got into his car. She also said someone touched her in a sexual manner, but she did not know who it was.
According to the report, she said she did not think she was sexually abused and refused medical treatment.
The incident prompted university officials to send an alert to students about an abduction. An officer looking for the 19-year-old student found her in the front seat of a Honda Civic, after pulling it over for a traffic violation. The officer noted that her clothes appeared to be disheveled and her pants were unzipped.
Johnson's trial began earlier this week and is expected to continue Thursday.
Separately, Johnson is awaiting trial on false imprisonment and harassment charges stemming from a June 2021 incident.
In June 2021, Johnson was arrested on charges of false imprisonment after he pulled up to a woman while she was with coworkers in the Old City area. Police said he asked the woman "if she wanted money" and pulled up near her driver's side door as she tried to get into her car.
The woman refused, and police said Johnson continued forcefully asking her the same question. He also started demanding that she enter his car, according to authorities. The behavior continued until a person intervened, giving the woman a chance to get into her car and close the door.
While she was in the car, Johnson stayed parked nearby — not allowing her to move, according to authorities.
When the woman picked up her phone as if to call 911, he drove away on Central Street and started speaking with her coworkers. She then drove up behind Johnson and blew the horn. He ended up driving away, police said.