A husband and wife from Winthrop, Ark., will be arraigned in the Little River County Circuit Court Tuesday for allegedly manufacturing and the possession of methamphetamine according to court records.
Jason Wayne Johnston, 36, and his wife, Christina Johnston, 40, both of Winthrop were recently arrested by officers of the Southwest Arkansas Drug Task Force for possession of methamphetamine with the purpose of delivery of the drugs.
An arraignment date has been scheduled for Tuesday to allow the couple to enter pleas, said Ashdown Attorney Mickey Buchanan, who represents the couple. The couple have been released from the Little River County jail after posting bonds.
Jason Wayne Johnston is the fire chief of the Winthrop Volunteer Fire Department, said Buchanan.
Little River County Sheriff Gary Gregory said Johnston has resigned as the fire chief.
Little River County Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Don Hale Jr. said Mark Welch has been appointed as the new fire chief.
The task force searched their residence and found three small zip-loc bags containing suspected methamphetamine, digital scales, syringes and numerous small baggies. The methamphetamine was weighed on the suspect's scale and weighed more than two grams.
During an interview by the task force officers, Christina Johnston said she uses meth and new meth was in the residence. She admitted to buying meth and only admitted getting it for another person one time, according to the arrest affidavit.
Jason Johnston said he has been using meth for about a year and has only sold it a couple of times, said the
affidavit.