Deputy: Man Had Gun 60 Feet From Jonesboro School

JONESBORO, Ark. — A deputy responding to a report of shots fired on Promise Lane on Oct. 20 found a gun in a man’s jacket pocket about 60 feet from a school building with approximately 330 students inside, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Ryan Demetrius Johnson, 22, faces allegations of possession of a handgun on school property, a Class D felony, and obstructing governmental operations, a Class C misdemeanor, according to first-appearance documents.

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The deputy wrote that he was helping secure the school’s exterior when he saw Johnson walking south about 60 feet from the building. The deputy approached and asked where Johnson had come from. Johnson said he had been at a nearby residence, according to the affidavit.

Johnson told the deputy he did not have identification with him and was asked to write his name on a piece of paper. He provided a birth year that was one year earlier than his actual birth year, the affidavit alleges.

While checking Johnson’s information through dispatch, the deputy reported seeing a firearm in the front pocket of Johnson’s jacket.

The deputy instructed Johnson to take his hands out of his pockets, then secured one of his hands behind his back while another deputy removed the gun, according to the affidavit. Johnson was placed in restraints and taken to the Craighead County Jail.

Although the deputy described being dispatched to a report of shots fired, the affidavit does not establish that shots were fired or accuse Johnson of firing the gun.

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Judge Thomas Fowler found probable cause to detain Johnson during an Oct. 21 hearing and set bond at $50,000 cash or surety. Johnson was ordered not to possess weapons as a condition of release.

The court found Johnson indigent or partially indigent and appointed a public defender. His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Nov. 23 in Craighead County Circuit Court in Jonesboro.

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