Man accused in series of Grindr date robberies gets probation

A suburban man accused of robbing men in downtown hotel rooms after meeting them through the Grindr gay dating app has pleaded guilty in two of those cases — and received a sentence of two years probation.

Davion Johnson, 21, received the sentence in a plea deal with prosecutors that Judge Alfredo Maldonado approved.

In February 2020, prosecutors said Johnson:

  • Pushed and took the wallet of a 42-year-old man inside a condo at 1255 North State Parkway on November 4, 2019
  • Stole the wallet of a 57-year-old Miami Beach man from a guest room at the Trump International Hotel & Tower on November 6, 2019
  • Displayed a stun gun and took valuables from a 42-year-old man from Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, at the W Lake Shore Hotel on January 23, 2020

He was separately charged with stealing from a 65-year-old man after meeting him in a room at the Inn of Chicago, 162 East Ohio, in December 2019.

Police suspected Johnson in at least three more cases with similar details, but investigators had trouble getting cooperation from some victims who lived out of town or were embarrassed by the circumstances of their meeting.

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CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com