Former Huntington Univ. coach indicted after claims of ‘Nassar-esque’ athlete abuse

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH-TV) – A grand jury in northern Indiana has indicted a former Huntington University cross-country coach accused of “Nassar-esque” treatment of student-athletes.

The indictment, filed Monday in Huntington Superior Court, charges Nicholas Johnson with sexual battery and battery.

Online court records do not indicate if Johnson has been arrested and do not list an attorney for him.

The indictment indicates the criminal acts happened around July 1, 2020.

That’s the same time frame that Hannah Stoffel, a track star at Huntington, claims Johnson began to sexually assault her.

The allegations are part of a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of Stoffel and two other athletes against Johnson, his wife Lauren, and Huntington University and its board of trustees.

In the lawsuit, the women claim Nick Johnson inappropriately touched female athletes, manipulated them, sexually assaulted them and injected them with substances.

The suit compares Johnson to both Larry Nassar, who was convicted of rape after being the team doctor of the U.S. women’s national gymnastics team, and the physician for Lance Armstrong, the cycling champion stripped of titles due to blood doping.

A trial date has not been set for the civil case.