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MIDVALE — A human trafficking investigation recently led to the discovery of drugs and guns at a Midvale motel.
Montrail Deevon Johnson, 42, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with two counts of possession of a weapon by a restricted person, drug possession with intent to distribute, two counts of drug possession in a correctional facility, and obstruction of justice, all second-degree felonies.
Investigators said they were acting on a tip that a woman was possibly being trafficked for sexual exploitation. The case led investigators to a motel in Midvale.
On Tuesday, an undercover officer arranged a "date" with the woman through an online ad and when he arrived at the motel room, she answer the door partially dressed. Other agents then descended on the room and questioned the woman who told them that Johnson "was allowing her to use the room to engage in commercial sex until he came back," according to charging documents.
A gun, ammunition, a Taser and drug paraphernalia were seen in plain view in the room. A search warrant was later obtained and "hundreds" of fentanyl pills, a second gun and a bulletproof vest were also discovered, the charges state.
About 30 minutes after officers arrived, investigators say Johnson, Jason Orlando Jackson, 42, and another men returned to the room. The agents announced "police" and said all three men took off running.
"Jackson had to be tackled by law enforcement in order to stop him from fleeing," according to the charges.
Officers say Johnson was "combative, argumentative and aggressive" throughout his interactions with agents. Once he was taken to the Salt Lake County Jail, deputies "located approximately 12 baggies of suspected fentanyl pills — several hundred pills — and a baggie of suspected methamphetamine concealed in a sock near his groin," the charges allege.
Jackson was charged Friday with unlawful possession of a weapon and drug possession with intent to distribute, second-degree felonies; and failing to stop at the command of law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor.
