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Nick Johnson gets 2 years in prison for Huntington U sex abuse scandal

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Nick Johnson gets 2 years in prison for Huntington U sex abuse scandal

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A former Huntington University track coach who was found guilty last month of sexually assaulting a former student-athlete he coached was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison followed by probation.

A former Huntington University track coach convicted last month of sexually assaulting a former student-athlete received a two-year sentence Thursday.

Nicholas “Nick” Johnson will serve one year in prison followed by one year of supervised release and probation. He was taken into custody immediately after receiving the sentence, according to the Huntington Superior Court Clerk’s Office. He will serve time in the Huntington County Jail. The clerk’s office said Johnson also received credit for one day.

The charge of sexual battery is a level 6 felony punishable by a minimum sentence of 6 months and a maximum of 2.5 years in Indiana. His attorney, James Voyles, declined by email to comment on the case. But, according to court documents, a motion to stay execution — or temporarily halt execution — of the sentence was filed on Johnson’s behalf after the hearing.

A Huntington Superior Court jury found Johnson guilty in September of one count of sexual assault. The verdict and sentence close a chapter in an abuse scandal that engulfed Northeast Indiana University’s distance running program.

The abuse formed a dark backdrop to the show’s outward success. The small Christian university had two national cross country champions, won a national indoor title in 2020 and was named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Program of the Year in 2021.

But in 2022, an IndyStar investigation revealed a cult-like atmosphere around Johnson. Several former student-athletes alleged emotional and physical abuse while speaking out about his troubling behavior and tactics. They said there was pressure to submit to doping and sexual misconduct with athletes.

The university fired Johnson in 2020 after he was arrested on charges of child seduction, kidnapping and identity fraud. The track coach, who grew up in Huntington and ran for the Foresters, pleaded guilty in 2021 to identity fraud in an unrelated case involving a teenage girl he brought to Oregon. In that case, he served 30 days of a two-year sentence.

Separately, a Huntington County grand jury indicted Johnson in 2023 on felony counts of sexual assault and misdemeanor assault in connection with the abuse at the Indiana university. The foul was later dismissed.

Huntington University’s track program is no longer an NAIA darling. The association recently suspended the school’s men’s and women’s cross country programs from postseason competition. According to the NAIA’s reports of violations, both teams are banned from the 2024 NAIA National Championships. It did not cite specific reasons.

The NAIA, the governing body for small athletic programs, also announced that the university is on probation for the 2026-2027 school year for violating the NAIA Code of Ethics. Additionally, Director of Athletics Lori Culler is on probation this 2024-2025 school year for violations of the NAIA code of ethics.

This article includes information from previous reporting by former InyStar reporter David Woods. Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, a @allyburris.

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