Attorney General's News Release

March 12, 2009

Court commits St. Louis man as sexually violent predator

St. Louis, Mo. - A St. Louis County Judge on Mar. 9 found Johnell L. Dandridge to be a sexually violent predator (SVP) and committed him to the Missouri Sexual Offender Treatment Center in Farmington, Attorney General Chris Koster announced. The judgment and commitment order was signed by Circuit Court Judge David L. Dowd.

The Attorney General's Office pursued the commitment of Dandridge, 63, as an SVP after he completed a 20-year prison sentence. He was convicted in 1989 for sodomy and sexual abuse of a 6-year-old boy.

"Crimes committed against children are especially heinous," Koster said. "Although we can never change what has happened in the past, we can do everything possible to ensure that history does not repeat itself. Keeping those likely to commit further sexually violent acts out of the community both protects our citizens and allows for treatment for the offender."

Those committed by the court as sexually violent predators go into the custody of the Missouri Department of Mental Health. They have the right to have their cases reviewed annually to determine if their mental abnormality has changed, making them unlikely to commit further acts of sexual violence if released.

Currently, there are 123 sexually violent predators committed in Missouri. Commitments are handled by the Public Safety Division in Koster's office.