Grandmother pleads not guilty to Kent child molestation

A 54-year-old Auburn grandmother pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three counts of first-degree child molestation in connection with the alleged abuse of three children who stayed with her while she lived in Kent.

Rose Marie Johnson entered the plea at King County Superior Court in Seattle, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. She is scheduled to return to court Sept. 7 when a trial date could be set or attorneys from either side could ask for more time to prepare the case.

Johnson had been scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 23, but instead ended up at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with an undisclosed illness or injury. Johnson remained Tuesday at the county jail in Seattle. Bail was set at $150,000.

King County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Johnson on a warrant Aug. 17 at her Auburn home.

Prosecutors filed charges Aug. 9 against Johnson, also known as Rose M. Harris. Prosecutors have requested that Johnson be ordered to have no contact with any of the victims.

The alleged abuse occurred between 2001 and 2005 while Johnson lived in at least three apartment complexes in Kent, according to charging papers. She also moved during those years to homes in Auburn and Federal Way.

One of the children, now 12, disclosed during a March investigation by Auburn Police that several years ago Johnson had made her consume human feces and urine as a form of punishment if the children did not have sexual contact with each other while Johnson watched. Johnson lived in Kent at that time.

The child told police the alleged abuse started when two of the children were ages 4 and 5.

Johnson reportedly paid the children $5 to have sexual contact with each other. The children told detectives they knew what Johnson made them do was wrong but they feared being “whooped” by Johnson if they refused to perform the sexual acts.