Man Is Charged With Armed Abduction of Women

D.C. police arrested a man yesterday in a recent string of armed kidnappings in which the abductors impersonated police and then robbed and fondled women.

Caliss Johnson, 41, was arrested a day after authorities released surveillance footage of a person thought to match his description at an ATM. Police said Johnson's large size helped lead to his identification. They were seeking a second man last night.

Police had made a public appeal for help in finding those responsible for the three abductions, which had occurred since Thursday in Northwest Washington, and warned people to be cautious when approached by someone claiming to be an officer -- even if the person displayed a badge. Yesterday, they received a tip that led them to Johnson, who was taken into custody at 2:30 p.m. in the 3000 block of Naylor Road SE.

"His size definitely was unique," said Capt. Michael Reese, head of the D.C. police robbery unit. Reese said authorities have not weighed Johnson, but police estimated that he weighs more than 350 pounds.

Johnson, who has no fixed address, is charged with kidnapping while armed in the first two cases and "strongly suspected" in the third, Reese said. He was jailed last night pending a probable appearance today in D.C. Superior Court.

In describing the incidents, police did not give details of the fondling.

The first incident took place about 12:15 a.m. Thursday in the 3000 block of M Street NW, when a man with a badge stopped a woman and accused her of driving a stolen car. He put the woman in his car, threatened her with a gun and used her ATM card to withdraw money before releasing her, police said.

The second occurred about 9 p.m. Friday in the 1300 block of Fourth Street NW. Two men got out of a Ford sport-utility vehicle, claimed to be officers, and stopped a man and woman sitting in a car in a motel parking lot. The men left with the woman, stole money from her purse and released her.

The third abduction happened about 1:15 a.m. Sunday near 13th and K streets NW. The men pulled alongside a car at a traffic light and told the couple inside that they were being arrested for speeding, police said. The robbers used the male victim's bank card to withdraw money and buy gasoline and then released the pair, police said.

During Johnson's arrest, police said, they seized a red Ford SUV that is suspected of being used in the crimes.

Johnson has a history of arrests dating to at least 1987, according to D.C. Superior Court records. In 1988, he pleaded guilty to theft. Most recently, according to court records, he pleaded guilty to simple assault, a misdemeanor. A judge sentenced him to six months in jail but suspended half the term.

Staff writer Henri E. Cauvin contributed to this report.