After deliberating for twenty minutes, a Vanderburgh County jury found 58-year-old Larry Corneal Johnson guilty as charged to several drug-related offenses Friday afternoon.
The charges stemmed from an anonymous report of drug activity reported to the WeTip hotline in May of 2017.
Detectives with the Evansville – Vanderburgh County Joint Drug Task Force received a WeTip report that narcotics were being sold out of a home in the 700 block of Washington Avenue on May 12th. Within 48 hours, detectives set up a controlled buy and purchased heroin from Larry Johnson. When detectives served a search warrant at Larry Johnson’s home shortly after, detectives recovered 14 grams of heroin and various drug paraphernalia.
A jury found Larry Johnson guilty of:
-Dealing in a narcotic drug more than 10 grams (Level 2 Felony)
-Dealing in a narcotic drug (Level 5 Felony)
-Maintaining a common nuisance – controlled substances (Level 6 Felony)
“Because someone took a few minutes to anonymously report this drug activity to the WeTip hotline, detectives were alerted to this drug activity and Mr. Johnson will be going to prison,†explained Vanderburgh County Prosecutor Nick Hermann. “The hard work of Deputy Prosecutor James Doyle and Evansville Police Detective Nathan Hassler was evident throughout the entire case. The Evansville community has seen a drastic spike in drug overdose deaths, many traced back to heroin. If you see drug activity in your neighborhood, we urge you to call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME.â€
Larry Johnson will be sentenced on February 28th in Vanderburgh County Superior Court.
