Abingdon, VIRGINIA - An Abingdon man, who posted pictures on social media of himself posing with a rifle and appearing to be high on drugs while making threats to others, was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court to 41 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and distribution of cocaine, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced today.
Christopher Lewis Johnson, 27, previously pleaded guilty to a two count Indictment charging him with the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition after previously being convicted of a felony punishable for a term of more than one year and distribution of cocaine.
According to documents filed with the court, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office received a call on Aug. 22, 2018, that Johnson had posted pictures and videos online that appeared to show him high on drugs, armed with a rifle, and making threats to himself and others. It also appeared that Johnson was actively searching online for drugs and drug dealers. When authorities from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded, Johnson came out of his apartment armed with an AR-riffle and, after a struggle, was taken into custody. Witnesses also described Johnson as armed and told police he was known to shoot exploding targets outside of his apartment. Court documents further revealed that on a separate occasion, Johnson distributed cocaine to a confidential informant working with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
