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Accused rapist posing as priest targets women at bus stops, Georgia cops say

Police in Dunwoody, Georgia are searching for an accused rapist they said lures women at bus stops by telling them he’s a priest and sexually assaults them.
Police in Dunwoody, Georgia are searching for an accused rapist they said lures women at bus stops by telling them he’s a priest and sexually assaults them. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A man wanted for rape is accused of luring women at bus stops by pretending to be a priest, authorities in an Atlanta-area community say.

The man, identified as 46-year-old Marco Aries Johnson, is known to approach women walking or waiting for the bus in the Chamblee, Doraville and Dunwoody areas, police wrote in a news release on Aug. 18.

“He stops to talk to them, gains their confidence by telling them he is a priest of EFY religion and a spiritual reader,” police said. “He then offers them a ride.”

Authorities said Johnson then takes the women to an apartment where he beats and sexually assaults them. It’s not clear how many women he’s accused of assaulting.

He has multiple warrants out of Dunwoody, police said, and was last seen driving a black Toyota Camry with Georgia tag CCQ3983.

Anyone with information is asked to call Dunwoody police detectives at 678-382-6925 or submit an anonymous tip online.

Dunwoody is about 15 miles north of downtown Atlanta.

If you have experienced sexual assault and need someone to talk to, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline for support at 1-800-656-4673 or visit the hotline's online chatroom.

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This story was originally published August 19, 2022 at 10:54 AM with the headline "Accused rapist posing as priest targets women at bus stops, Georgia cops say."

Tanasia Kenney
Sun Herald
Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.
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