Johnny Ray Green, 43, was arrested this week; a judge denied bond as Spring ISD police lead the case.
SPRING, TX — A 43-year-old convicted felon is accused of picking up a 15-year-old Spring Independent School District student near Andy Dekaney High School on Sept. 3 and sexually assaulting her at his home, according to court records. The suspect, identified as Johnny Ray Green, was arrested Monday and denied bond Tuesday in Harris County.
Prosecutors charged Green with aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault of a child, alleging he lured the sophomore into his truck by offering to take her to a police station. Investigators say DNA recovered during a hospital exam later matched Green and that surveillance video shows a red pickup collecting the teen and returning to drop her off near campus. Spring ISD Police are leading the investigation alongside Harris County authorities. Green, who has prior felony convictions, remained in jail as of Tuesday. A court appearance is expected Thursday while detectives continue looking for any additional victims and piecing together the hours before and after the attack.
According to charging documents, the student left campus the afternoon of Sept. 3 and headed toward a nearby fast-food area. She told police a man in a red Ram pickup with tan trim pulled up and offered her a ride, telling her he would take her to a police station to make sure she got home. Once she got inside, she said he patted her down to check for a recording device and drove her to a house in Spring. The teen later described a violent assault in a bedroom and said the man locked a door and restrained her. “It was a total investigative approach,” Spring ISD Police Chief Matt Rodrigue said in an interview, crediting DNA, business surveillance and regional license-plate readers for helping identify a suspect. Afterward, the assailant dropped the student near where she was taken and gave her $10, records say.
The girl returned to Dekaney High School and reported the assault the same day, according to investigators. EMS took her to a hospital for a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exam, where staff collected clothing and biological evidence. Court records state male DNA was detected on the student’s clothing. Detectives also canvassed the area and gathered camera footage from nearby businesses and parking lots, which they say showed the red truck circling, picking up the teen and later returning so she could exit the passenger side. In December, lab staff flagged a match in the national DNA database that pointed to Green, investigators wrote. The teen subsequently identified Green in a photo lineup prepared by detectives. A Spring ISD spokesperson said the district’s police department continues to lead the case and declined to release more details to protect the investigation.
Records outline a series of steps that followed the December DNA hit. Detectives confirmed a red pickup matching the truck in the videos at a Spring residence associated with Green. Investigators then conducted surveillance last week and documented Green driving a similar vehicle in the area. On Monday, a Harris County warrant unit arrested Green without incident. He appeared in court Tuesday, where prosecutors sought continued detention pending trial under a recently approved Texas measure allowing judges to deny bail in certain violent cases. A judge granted the no-bond request. Green is charged with aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault of a child between 14 and 17, both felonies.
Court files also list prior convictions, including aggravated robbery in 2000 and possession of a controlled substance in 2008. Records show Green was arrested in 2021 in a separate case alleging continuous sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl. A jury was seated for trial in 2023, but the case was dismissed when a witness did not appear, according to the file. A 2024 tampering-with-a-witness charge connected to that matter was later dismissed, and a refiled charge in late 2024 was dismissed in mid-2025, records say. None of those dismissals resolved the underlying allegations, and prosecutors did not elaborate Tuesday on whether any of those earlier claims will be revisited. The current case centers on the Sept. 3 attack reported by the Dekaney student.
The timeline in the new case is unusually compact for a sexual assault investigation, Rodrigue said. He noted DNA confirmation typically takes months, sometimes longer, but investigators in this incident moved from the assault exam to a database match in roughly three months. “Really, for this type of crime, we’re talking a time span of less than three months,” Rodrigue said. Detectives also leaned on footage from businesses, a bank camera pointing toward the parking lot where the teen was walking, and regionwide camera systems that help track vehicles as they pass traffic points. The student’s account included details of the bedroom, including that it appeared messy and that she saw a pair of black high heels in the room, which she interpreted as a sign someone else might live there, investigators wrote.
Prosecutors told the court Tuesday that the student reported being in significant pain during and after the assault and described fearing for her safety. Court records say the teen told officers she had consumed THC earlier in the day and felt too intoxicated to resist effectively. Investigators said the suspect later turned on a television and selected a user profile labeled “John,” which the student noticed before he shut the set off. The suspect then drove her back and dropped her near the school, handing her cash for food, according to the affidavit. The student walked back to campus, where staff and officers contacted EMS. She was treated and interviewed, and her clothing was preserved for testing. A Spring ISD spokesperson said the district is cooperating with detectives and referred questions about security protocols to its police department.
At the courthouse Tuesday, prosecutors argued Green should remain jailed until trial because of the severity of the charges and his criminal history. The judge agreed, ordering him held without bond while the case proceeds. Officials said a probable-cause hearing and scheduling conference are expected Thursday. In the meantime, Spring ISD police and Harris County prosecutors said they are evaluating whether the facts meet the thresholds for additional charges beyond those already filed. Detectives also asked that anyone who recognizes the suspect report any information that may help the case. Green’s appointed defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment made through court records.
Tuesday’s decision to deny bond comes as local judges weigh new authority to hold defendants in certain violent cases when prosecutors show clear concerns about safety or flight. In Harris County, recent cases involving school-aged victims have prompted broader discussions about campus safety outside the school day, including the areas of parking lots and nearby businesses where students often walk. Dekaney High School sits near retail strips along the North Freeway corridor. Spring ISD has not announced any new measures tied specifically to this incident but has emphasized its police department’s role in coordinating with other agencies and reviewing camera footage, according to statements.
On campus and in the surrounding neighborhood Tuesday, a light police presence and marked district patrols were visible near dismissal. A few parents waiting in cars said they heard about the arrest through local news and district alerts. “You never expect to see something like this so close to your child’s school,” said Maria Lopez, who picked up a sophomore. “I’m relieved someone was arrested, but I want to understand how it happened.” A Dekaney senior who said she walks to a nearby restaurant after school described more officers cruising the area this week. “They’ve been driving by a lot more,” said the student, who gave only her first name. Chief Rodrigue said investigators are continuing to canvass for video from additional businesses and speak with potential witnesses who were in the area on Sept. 3.
As of late Tuesday, Green remained in the Harris County Jail on the two felony charges with no bond. Prosecutors said a brief hearing is scheduled Thursday, with additional court dates to follow as discovery is exchanged. Investigators said they are still building a full map of the suspect’s movements that afternoon and night, including any stops between the pickup and drop-off. Authorities have not released a full list of evidence recovered from the residence. The district said it would share updates through its police department as warranted by the investigation.
Author note: Last updated January 14, 2026.