Nine-year-old raped

Sept. 23– A Savannah man was convicted of child rape and aggravated sexual battery Monday.

A Hardin County Circuit Court jury found Michael D. Johnson, 49, who formerly lived in an apartment on Austin Street, records show, guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on the child.

The victim, a 9-year-old boy, took the witness stand to testify against Johnson regarding the attack on Dec. 3, 2009.

A woman who identified herself as the child’s mother phoned The Courier to say the public should be aware "we have a lot of people in this town who are sex offenders."

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation maintains a public sex offender database at www.tbi.state.tn.us.

It identifies by name, address and photo 56 convicted sex offenders in Hardin County and 48 in McNairy County.

Johnson is set for sentencing on Oct. 12 and has been held at the local jail since his arrest last December, a court official said.