Woman arrested in drug raid acquitted after two-day trial

A Charleston woman arrested on multiple charges last year in a narcotics raid by Hot Springs police was found not guilty of the charges Friday after a two-day trial in Garland County Circuit Court.

The six-man, six-woman jury deliberated for about four hours before finding Margo Joann Johnston, 26, not guilty of felony counts of possession of drug paraphernalia, unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate certain crimes, possession of meth with purpose to deliver and use of a communication device.

Garland County Public Defender Tim Beckham, who represented Johnston, said Monday that Johnston's aunt, Billie Jo Bowman, 52, who was also arrested in the raid on Bowman's residence, had admitted everything was hers in her statement to police while Johnston had denied all of it.

"She knew Bowman was selling, but was not involved," Beckham said, noting that Johnston had only been staying at Bowman's Ira Street residence for about three days before the raid occurred.

"The controlled purchases (made by police) that were the basis for the search warrant were done in March and April," he said, so Johnston would not have been there or been involved.

Bowman is scheduled to stand trial on April 4 on felony charges of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate certain crimes, possession of meth or cocaine with purpose to deliver and possession of a firearm by certain persons.

The arrest affidavit noted Bowman has a lengthy criminal history with multiple prior felony convictions dating back to 1984, including first-degree murder and forgery. Johnston was previously convicted of felony theft of property in 2016.

As a convicted felon, Johnston was also charged with possession of a firearm by certain persons, but that charge was severed from the others to be tried separately. Johnston is set for trial on that charge on May 14.

According to the affidavit, on May 24, 2017, shortly after 6 a.m., officers with the police department's Special Investigations Unit and SWAT team executed a search warrant on Bowman's residence and upon entry found Johnston in the living room on a blowup mattress and Bowman in her bedroom.

Throughout the residence, police allegedly located 4.7 grams of meth in baggies, 0.6 gram of cocaine, 3.8 grams of marijuana, 13 acetaminophen/hydrocodone pills, five hydrocodone/ibuprofen pills and five clonazepam pills.

They also located five pipes with residue, numerous pipes without residue, numerous empty baggies, two straws with residue, 14 straws without residue, four cellphones, a spoon, an empty syringe, a syringe loaded with a dark unknown substance, a mirror with a razor blade, four digital scales and a .380 automatic pistol with one round in the chamber.

Johnston was initially held without bond and pleaded not guilty to charges on Aug. 1, 2017. Bond was later set at $25,000 and she was released on Oct. 14, 2017.

Local on 01/30/2018

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