A local man and woman were arrested early Friday after Hot Springs police executed a narcotics search warrant on their apartment and allegedly found drugs and guns.
Thomas Charles Johnson Jr., 42, and Laura Gail Rochester, 42, both of 619 Second St., Apt. C, were taken into custody at their residence shortly after 6 a.m. and each charged with felony counts of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, punishable by up to life in prison, possession of drug paraphernalia, first-degree forgery and unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate a crime, each punishable by up to 20 years, possession of a controlled substance, ecstasy, with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 10 years, and possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a defaced firearm, punishable by up to six years.
They were both also charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to one year in jail. Rochester, who was previously convicted of felony theft of property in Clark County in 1993, was also charged with a felony count of possession of a firearm by certain persons.
Johnson and Rochester were both being held on zero bond and appeared Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, officers with the HSPD Special Investigations-Narcotics Unit utilized the department's SWAT team to execute the search warrant on the Second Street apartment and reportedly located Johnson and Rochester in the master bedroom.
Investigators searched the residence and in the master bedroom allegedly found three sets of digital scales, a loaded 9-mm pistol with the serial number defaced, a glass smoking pipe, a box of ammunition and an AJAX container with a false bottom which contained two bags of marijuana, a total of 11.6 grams.
They also found a loaded .22-caliber revolver, two allegedly counterfeit $20 bills, two baggies with white residue and two ecstasy pills. In the kitchen, they reportedly located three unloaded gun magazines.
It was noted the apartment belongs to a local real estate company and is located 820 feet from Jones Park.
Local on 09/11/2018