HOT SPRINGS — A Hot Springs woman is facing a Class A felony fentanyl charge filed nearly three months after her arrest, after a federal agent wrote in a sworn affidavit that he sought a warrant for her because she withdrew her cooperation with a drug task force.
Rachel M. Johnson, 40, was charged July 31 in Garland County Circuit Court with possession of fentanyl with purpose to deliver, possession of methamphetamine with purpose to deliver, possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Prosecuting Attorney Michelle C. Lawrence filed the information in case 26CR-26-633. The charges stem from a May 8 traffic incident in Hot Springs.
The fentanyl count is a Class A felony punishable by six to 30 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and a fine of up to $15,000. The methamphetamine count is a Class B felony carrying five to 20 years and a fine of up to $15,000. The marijuana and paraphernalia counts are Class A misdemeanors.
The May 8 arrest
Hot Springs police Officer Kristofer Pierce was dispatched to 1910 Albert Pike Road at about 7:10 a.m. on May 8 for a report of a vehicle in the alley behind the business, according to his affidavit.
Pierce wrote that he found a maroon Lexus that had crashed into an embankment in the back alley of the strip mall, with Johnson passed out behind the wheel. She was the only person in the car.
After waking her, Pierce reported seeing a THC vape device in plain view. Johnson confirmed it was a marijuana vape and said she did not have an Arkansas medical marijuana license, according to the affidavit.
Officers then searched the vehicle. Pierce wrote that another officer administered standardized field sobriety tests and determined Johnson was safe to drive.
The search turned up a marijuana vape labeled “Natural State” in her purse and a black digital scale coated in a white powder that field-tested positive for methamphetamine, according to the affidavit.
A more detailed probable cause statement filed by the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force lists additional items seized: a pouch containing a syringe with 25 units of brownish liquid, a clear pipe with burn marks, a clear baggie holding about 5 grams of a crystal-like substance, and three smaller containers holding roughly 0.7, 0.8 and 0.3 grams. Each field-tested positive for methamphetamine, the affidavit states.
Investigators also reported a clear glass container holding a small amount of white powder that field-tested positive for fentanyl.
Johnson was booked into the Garland County Detention Center on a single count of possession of drug paraphernalia, based on the digital scale.
The cooperation agreement
The affidavit lays out a sequence that began weeks before the arrest.
Homeland Security Investigations in Little Rock opened an investigation in March into a fatal fentanyl overdose in Garland County, according to the filing. HSI Special Agent Clinton Forte wrote that he learned Johnson was a close friend of the overdose victim and might have information about a source of supply.
Forte interviewed Johnson on March 17 in the presence of other law enforcement. He wrote that she admitted using fentanyl, identified several people she described as fentanyl dealers in Garland County, and agreed to help the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force make controlled purchases.
“After the initial meeting with JOHNSON on March 17, 2026, JOHNSON never assisted the 18th JDEDTF with any controlled purchases or any other type of law enforcement operations,” Forte wrote.
Johnson called Forte from the detention center at about 8:25 a.m. on the morning of her arrest, according to the affidavit. Forte wrote that she was upset and crying, and that he drove to the jail and interviewed her at about 9:35 a.m.
In that post-Miranda interview, Johnson admitted using methamphetamine and selling drugs in the past, Forte wrote. She said she had last sold drugs about two weeks earlier, that she typically sold a half ounce for $240 to a single buyer, and that she had been selling to that person about every two weeks for roughly six months. She said she paid about $150 for a half ounce.
Forte wrote that Johnson again agreed to cooperate in exchange for fewer charges that day, with the understanding that charges tied to the arrest would be filed later if she failed to follow through.
She was released the same day and checked in with Forte on May 9 and 10 as instructed, according to the affidavit.
Three days after her arrest, that arrangement ended.
“On May 11, 2026, SA Forte received a message from JOHNSON stating that she had contacted legal counsel and could not discuss the matter any further without counsel present,” the affidavit states. “As a result of this, an arrest warrant is being sought for JOHNSON, due to her removal of her cooperation.”
Warrants and bond
A district judge signed three arrest warrants on June 1. Hot Springs police served them at Johnson’s residence on June 5, according to an Arkansas Crime Information Center arrest report. Bail was initially set at $102,500.
Johnson posted a $35,000 bond through Hot Springs Bail Bond Company on June 24, court records show. She had posted a separate $1,000 bond on the paraphernalia count on May 8.
The two felony warrants list the fentanyl and methamphetamine offenses as Class C felonies. The information filed July 31 charges them at the higher Class A and Class B levels.
Johnson has no prior felony convictions, according to a bail bond determination form she completed. The form lists her as unemployed and divorced, living with her mother.
Forte is the endorsed witness for the state.
Johnson has not entered a plea. A criminal information is a charging document and not evidence of guilt. Johnson is presumed innocent unless and until convicted.
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