LEWISTON – Former youth baseball and basketball coach Michael Johnson is already facing charges that he sexually abused seven young girls back in the 1980s. The 38-year-old Poland man was back behind bars Tuesday on charges that he victimized more teenagers late last year.

Police arrested Johnson Monday afternoon on charges of furnishing drugs to teenage girls and promoting prostitution.

Investigators said Johnson prowled Kennedy Park in August looking for girls between 14 and 16-years-old to dance for him and have sex with him.

Johnson plied the girls with booze and drugs while convincing them to dance nude for him and have sex for money, police said. The former coach also paid his victims to go out and recruit other teenage girls to do similar work for money, according to court records.

Johnson, once a volunteer coach for the YMCA and the Auburn Suburban Little League, was arrested by Auburn police in December on seven counts of rape.

Those charges are the result of allegations made by three woman who claimed Johnson had sex with them in the late ’80s while they were teenagers. An investigation into those claims began in 1993. Johnson is currently awaiting trial.

The latest charges against Johnson began as a routine police matter in February, investigators said. Lewiston police Officer Thomas Murphy spoke with a teenager after receiving a report of a young girl prostituting in Kennedy Park.

Murphy learned that the girl had been prostituting herself for an older man, according to a court affidavit. That man was later identified as Johnson, who lives at 650 Empire Road in Poland.

Police said the girl from the Park told the officer that she had met Johnson through a friend who was also providing sexual services for the former coach.

Murphy was told that on several occasions, Johnson provided pot to groups of girls interested in dancing for him. The girl told police she joined Johnson to his Poland home in late August or early September.

The girl said Johnson had her dance nude and that he fondled her breasts against her protest. Later, during a trip to a Lisbon Street motel, the sexual activity became more involved.

Police said a day later, Johnson brought that girl and another teen to a room he had rented at the Morning Star Motel. Once inside, Johnson gave both girls a fifth of rum, two marijuana joints and the prescription drug Adderall, according to a police affidavit.

Johnson told the girls to take off their clothes and offered both of them money for sex, police said. According to the court document, both girls declined but Johnson persisted. He told one of the girls she could have the motel room for the night, all the booze and drugs in return for sex, investigators said.

The girl told police she had sex with Johnson so that he would leave. Johnson paid her $50 and left the room, according to the affidavit.

Police said Johnson met with the same two girls on several occasions, smoking pot with them and urging them to recruit others.

“Johnson, on numerous occasions, asked (one teen) to find him young girl for his ‘own personal use,'” Detective Scot Bradeen wrote in the affidavit attached to the arrest warrant. “(She) stated that Johnson had specifically asked her to find him young, skinny, pretty girls aged 14 to 16-year-old to have sex with him. She also stated that Johnson offered her money and a percentage of what he would pay the others girls to have sex with him.”

One of the girls told police she and Johnson exchanged e-mail addresses and that the older man harassed her online.

Police investigating the case applied for a warrant to search Johnson’s home, to look for evidence of e-mail exchanges with the girls as well as other evidence. It was not disclosed what, if anything was found in the search.

On Monday, Johnson was questioned at the police station about his involvement with the girls. He was arrested at about 3:45 p.m. and taken to the Androscoggin County Jail. He remained there Tuesday night on $5,000 cash bail following an initial appearance in 8th District Court.

One of the woman who came forward to report Johnson had abused her as a teen between 1986 and 1988 said she was happy to learn that he was arrested on further charges.

“This should answer any questions of doubt that some may have had when he was charged back in December,” the woman said. “This is the exact reason why I’ve come forward. He is still out there and obviously up to no good.”

According to a director at the YMCA, Johnson has not coached youth sports in more than a decade. As part of bail conditions, he was ordered to stay away from girls under the age of 18-years-old if he is released from jail.

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