EL DORADO – An Arkansas man and woman were sentenced to a combined total of 308 months in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking and related crimes. The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place in the United States District Court in El Dorado.
According to court records, on August 24, 2023, Willis Devin Johnson, age 36, of Mountain Home, and Sarah Lavon Paxton, age 37, of Mountain Home, were located in a vehicle at a local car wash in Bearden, Arkansas. Agents with the El Dorado Police Department, CAD, and the 13th Judicial Drug Task Force had received information that Johnson was attempting to sell several ounces of methamphetamine. Johnson and Paxton were taken into custody and a search of the vehicle revealed three vacuum sealed bags containing 1,400 grams of methamphetamine.
On August 22, 2024, Johnson pleaded guilty to Possession of More than 500 Grams of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Paxton plead guilty on September 11, 2024, to Possession of More than 500 Grams of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute
For those crimes, Johnson was sentenced on January 15, 2025, to 188 months, in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. Paxton was sentenced on January 14, 2025, to 120 months, in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.
The El Dorado Police Department, CAD, and the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case for the United States.
