Salem man charged with killing teen in crash now accused of sexually abusing minor

A 33-year-old Salem man accused of driving while intoxicated, killing a minor passenger and seriously injuring three others in a collision now faces new charges alleging he sexually abused a minor.

The Marion County District Attorney’s Office charged Christopher J. Atkinson on July 2 with two counts of second-degree sexual abuse.

The charges allege that Atkinson subjected a person to sexual intercourse without their consent on two separate occasions in March, according to court documents.

Under Oregon law, sexual contact can be non-consensual in several ways. 

That includes if an abuser uses force, or if a victim is under 18 and legally unable to give consent. When age is the issue, state law allows a defense that the act was consensual if both people are within three years apart in age, according to Marion County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy.

Murphy said the victim was a minor. Court records do not name the victim and Salem Reporter does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Atkinson has been held at the Marion County Jail without bail since the March 23 crash that killed 16-year-old Zolayha Johnson, a junior at McNary High School.

Three other minors, including Johnson’s 12-year-old sister, a 14-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, were also in the car. 

The surviving 16-year-old girl told police that Atkinson took the minors on an evening joyride on Marion County backroads, drinking and smoking marijuana with them before crashing,  according to a Marion County Sheriff’s Office affidavit. 

The girl said Atkinson was speeding up to 120 miles per hour.

Atkinson wasn’t a parent or guardian of any of the minors in the car, according to court records.

A grand jury indicted him on June 13 in Marion County Circuit Court on charges of first-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault, two counts of first-degree assault, reckless driving, four counts of furnishing alcohol to people under 21 and driving while under the influence of intoxicants.

The youngest child in the car had injuries so severe that she was flown to a Portland hospital.

The surviving 16-year-old girl told police “her friend” Atkinson texted her Sunday evening saying he was coming to pick her up, arriving at her home in Keizer around 7 p.m., according to the affidavit. They then picked up Johnson and her sister at their Keizer home and the 14-year-old boy at his home in Hayesville.

The girl said Atkinson took them to a park, where he shared alcohol and a marijuana vape pen with them. The group decided to go joyriding.

Atkinson was taken to Salem Hospital and assessed for intoxication. His blood alcohol content was 0.02%, below the legal limit. The deputy wrote that Atkinson displayed several signs of impairment consistent with marijuana use but passed other impairment tests.

A public vigil for Johnson was held on March 28 at the Southeast Keizer Community Center.

She regularly volunteered at the center, according to reporting by Keizertimes.

Johnson and her sister lived in Keizer with their grandmother most of their lives.

Johnson planned to be a chef after high school. She participated in choir the past three years at McNary, according to a Gofundme account established to help the family cover funeral costs.

RELATED COVERAGE: 

Keizer vigil planned Friday for McNary junior who died in crash

Salem man shared alcohol, marijuana with minors before fatal joyride, police affidavit says

Salem man accused of manslaughter in fatal crash near Stayton

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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