Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
HERRIMAN — A mother and grandmother have been charged for a January incident that led to the apparent drug-related death of a 20-year-old man.
Anita Johnson, 36, and Judith Lawson, 60, had four men, ages 19 and 20, over to their home at 12577 S. Starlite Hill Lane the night of January 14, court documents filed Monday in the 3rd District Court state.
The young men were drinking alcohol at another location when they received a text message from Johnson's 13-year-old daughter and it was determined that Johnson picked them up and take them to her house, charges state, where she gave the men more alcohol.
Court documents state Johnson and three of the men snorted cocaine that was furnished by Lawson.
According to court documents, one of the men told Johnson he had anxiety problems, and Johnson provided him with two Xanax pills and at least one Soma pill and told him it would help with his anxiety. Another man, Issac Hargis, 20, was also given at least one Xanax and a Soma, court documents state, in addition to cocaine.
According to the charges, police found eight Oxycontin pills and 17 morphine pills in the master bedroom. Lawson produced 27.3 grams of cocaine from her shirt, court documents state, and police found more cocaine, 9.1 grams of marijuana, four Oxycontin pills and a .22 caliber Lorcin handgun loaded with six bullets were also allegedly found in Lawson's bedroom.
Unified Police responded the next day shortly after 12 noon to a call from the home about a man who had been drinking and stopped breathing. Hargis was found on the floor lying on his back in a downstairs bedroom, and court documents described him having "bluish skin coloring" with "fluid coming out of his mouth and nose."
The officer requested additional assistance and began administering CPR. Emergency medical personnel soon arrived and took over until Hargis was pronounced dead at 12:38 p.m., charges state. Another man lying on the floor upstairs was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, charges state.
Johnson's husband, who was in the home sleeping during the incident, is the homeowner and he said he knew his mother-in-law, Lawson, had used cocaine in the past, court documents state. He gave police permission to search the entire house.
According to the charges, police found eight Oxycontin pills and 17 morphine pills in the master bedroom. Lawson produced 27.3 grams of cocaine from her shirt, court documents state, and police found more cocaine, 9.1 grams of marijuana, four Oxycontin pills and a .22 caliber Lorcin handgun loaded with six bullets were also allegedly found in Lawson's bedroom.
Johnson and Lawson were both charged with one first-degree count and one second-degree count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, two counts of endangerment of a child or elder adult, both third-degree felonies, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor.
Johnson was also charged with three additional counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, all second-degree felonies, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor. Lawson was also charged with possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony.
Email:hschwarz@desnews.com
