Overview
- Federal prosecutors charged Christopher Barret Johnson with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl after a May 5 traffic stop near MacArthur Park produced drugs and paraphernalia, officials said.
- Authorities reported that officers saw methamphetamine in plain view and two knives on Johnson during the stop, and they seized baggies, a digital scale with fentanyl residue, cash, and a dish-soap container holding more baggies.
- Laboratory tests confirmed at least 142 grams of a fentanyl-containing substance and about 46 grams of methamphetamine among the items seized, facts the government says support distribution charges.
- Federal agents executed a warrant on May 21 related to the May 5 stop, took Johnson into federal custody again, and agents reported finding pipes and syringes in his vehicle during that action.
- Johnson's reported work for People Assisting the Homeless, a city-contracted outreach group that has distributed syringes in the area, has prompted prosecutors to question nonprofit hiring and oversight as law enforcement sustains operations in the park.