Convicted Child Molester On The Run, Santa Clara DA Says

SANTA CLARA, CA — An air conditioning repairman convicted last week of sexually abusing a young girl for more than 10 years has gone missing, and the District Attorney's Office is looking for any information that may lead authorities to his whereabouts.

Authorities said Apollo Johnsen, 55, failed to appear in court on Sept. 16 and has been missing since then. He was convicted in absentia last week for sexually abusing a 6-year-old girl starting in 2005. Authorities said he eventually raped the girl when she was 16 in her East Bay home.

After the victim revealed his abuse in May 2016, Johnsen was arrested that June, and was released on bail in November 2016. He was convicted last week of 16 counts of child molestation.

Anyone who sees Johnsen or has information about his whereabouts should call local law enforcement, contact Santa Clara Police Department Detective Scott Mead at 408-882-7474, or call the PD's anonymous tip line at 408-615-4847.

Authorities said Johnsen had previously been convicted in 1993 of felony second-degree robbery and false imprisonment after posing as a repairman to get access to a credit union before holding employees at gunpoint and stealing more than $50,000.

Johnsen, who had changed his name from Dennis Ray Johnsen to Apollo Johnsen, owned Day & Night Furnace Co. in Santa Clara.