Rebecca Johnson, the Cajun Navy volunteer who claimed she was attacked in Lake Charles, has been arrested.

According to a report from KPLC, Rebecca Johnson was booked into the Calcasieu Correctional Center earlier today on one count of filing or maintaining false public records.

The report also states that officials confirmed to KPLC that Johnson was arrested but Lake Charles police did not provide any further details.

Reporter Jillian Corder confirmed on Facebook that Rebecca Johnson is the same "Becky" Johnson who claimed she was attacked by two men in an Albertson's parking lot near the intersection of Ryan and Sale streets.

 

At the time of the alleged "incident" where Johnson claimed to have been attacked, she spoke with KPLC reporters with a black eye saying she was "still shocked" after the "attack."

She even shared the graphic photos on social media, which got an enormous amount of support from the community.

Johnson described it as "the last thing she would have ever expected."

A lot of racial slurs, saying they don’t want us serving in the African-American community. That’s what they were pretty much angry about. One of them came around as I was stepping out and physically attacked me. The other one tore up inside the vehicle, ransacking through the vehicles.

Cajun Navy Ground Force founder Rob Gaudet said they were working with the authorities at the time.

We are working with authorities with Lake Charles Police Department on it. They are looking for the suspects. As far as I know, they don’t have anybody caught yet. Although I think they have some people in mind.

Johnson even expressed her worry that the Lake Charles police investigation wasn't enough to put her mind at ease.

I’m nervous in the sense of, I just need to be more aware especially until they are caught.

The original report from KPLC included statements from Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter as well as the Cajun Navy.

On Monday, June 21st at 2:30 pm, a disaster response volunteer (white female) with the Cajun Navy Ground Force was pulled from her vehicle and assaulted by two white males while attempting to assist an elderly citizen of our community.

The incident occurred near the corner of Ryan and Sale during daylight hours. The victim was the subject of an attempted rape and was severely physically assaulted and verbally abused before being left lying on the ground with cuts, fingernail scrapes and significant bruising all of which resulted in a torn and tattered shirt and other clothing. They also destroyed the inside of her car and stole the Cajun Navy signs on the doors of her truck.

As evidenced by the unthinkable racial slurs hurled at the victim during the assault, along with a note left on her car days later, the motive for the attack seems to be a clear effort to demoralize those who are offering assistance to the underserved African American communities within some of the hardest hit areas of Southwest Louisiana.

The victim has operated in full cooperation with Lake Charles police department, who responded quickly and who’s investigation is still ongoing. To our knowledge, as of the time of this submission, no arrests have been made.

The volunteer who was attacked visited the hospital bruised, scraped, and sore, yet returned to serving the community the next day. In response to the attack, the volunteer says, “As the victim of a targeted assault on a volunteer serving the Lake Charles area I feel an extreme responsibility to let the community know and be aware. To be aware that the attack was not just on me but on our community as a whole. That individuals who carry hate have infiltrated our community and are trying to stop us from serving our African American communities by using physical force, and repetitive words of hate and racism.”

As a testament to this united resolve, several volunteer organizations met on Friday, June 25th. The meeting was led by the Long Term Recovery Committee, which is charged with the execution of an effective and efficient recovery effort. The attack on the volunteer was discussed, as were ways to ensure volunteer safety, coordination, and collaborations in the future. We would like to acknowledge both Mayor Hunter’s and Police Chief Caldwell’s presence and participation in our meeting.

As the Cajun Navy Ground Force, along with those we serve beside, we want those we serve to know that though we each have different means and methods of accomplishing it, our mission here is to both amplify our advocacy for and intensify our actions to ensure that Southwest Louisiana not only recovers from its natural disasters, but also overcomes any present social ills that would impact its resiliency as a community in the future.

Together, we have already hosted thousands of volunteers in an unprecedented disaster response. We want every volunteer that has come, as well as those that are on their way, to know that every effort has - and will - be taken to protect them while they are here. We strive to provide an unparalleled opportunity to impact the lives of those within our community.

We remain United in our commitment to those most vulnerable in this community regardless of their skin tone. We know that no disaster - whether natural or social - will ever prevail over love.

After news of Johnson's arrest, reactions poured in on social media.

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We will update this developing story when more details become available.

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