Man sentenced to 30 years for possessing heroin for sale in school zone

A man convicted in September of possessing heroin and marijuana for sale in a school zone has been sentenced to 30 years in prison, authorities said.

Charles Randolph Johnson was sentenced by Anderson County Criminal Court Judge Donald R. Elledge on Monday, November 30, District Attorney General Dave Clark said in a press release.

Johnson, a Michigan native, was convicted by a jury on September 18. He was found guilty of possessing heroin with the intent to sell it within 1,000 feet of a school, possessing marijuana with the intent to sell it, and possessing drug paraphernalia, Clark said.

Authorities said Johnson possessed a large amount of heroin and marijuana inside a mobile home near Claxton Elementary School. He was arrested on January 31 when a search warrant was executed after a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Anderson County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, and the Seventh Judicial District Crime Task Force.

Clark said Johnson has several prior felony convictions from Michigan that contributed to an increased sentence.

“In addition, unlike many drug convictions where a defendant is eligible for parole after serving only 30 to 35 percent of his or her sentence, Mr. Johnson must serve 100 percent of his sentence because it was committee within 1,000 feet of a school,” Clark said.

He said the case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Ryan Spitzer.

“Having made great strides in combating both methamphetamine and prescription pill abuse over the last several years, we are now seeing a significant increase in trafficking of dangerous and highly addictive heroin from Michigan into the Knoxville area,” Clark said. “This conviction and heft sentence should send a clear message that Tennesseans simply will not tolerate bringing in heroin and poisoning our communities for profit.”

Johnson has more charges pending for three related heroin sales that led to the search warrant being issued, as well as charges for coercion of a witness and fabrication of evidence, charges stemming from an incident in the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton, Clark said.

More information will be added as it becomes available.

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