A man who served time as a boy in juvenile detention for the Jonesboro school shootings of a teacher and four students was back in court Wednesday on a federal weapons charge in Fayetteville.
Mitchell Johnson, 23, appeared before a federal magistrate on one count of possession of a firearm while either a user or addicted to a controlled substance, said Debbie Groom, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Arkansas.
Johnson appeared on a summons after he was indicted for a purported crime that originally was filed in state court. A state prosecutor later dropped the case at the request of federal officials.
Federal Public Defender Jack Schisler, who represented Mitchell on Wednesday, said, "It's a very unusual charge in my experience." He would not elaborate.
Johnson pleaded not guilty and was released on $5,000 bond. U.S. Magistrate James Marschewski restricted Johnson's travel to Washington and Benton counties and placed him under the monitoring of the U.S. Probation Office.
A trial date was set for Dec. 3 before U.S. District Judge Jimm Hendren and the magistrate also ordered Johnson to have no contact with Justin Trammell.
Johnson was stopped in January while riding with Trammell, who was convicted of killing his father with a crossbow as a teen.
Police said the two were roommates in Fayetteville at the time of the stop.
During the traffic stop, Trammell, who was driving Johnson's van, was given a ticket and Johnson was cited for having marijuana and a firearm. Johnson was charged New Year's Day, but a state prosecutor later dropped the misdemeanor drug and weapon charges him at the request of federal officials.
Johnson and Andrew Golden were convicted in juvenile court of the 1998 shootings at Jonesboro Westside Middle School, in which they opened fire on students and teachers after Golden pulled the fire alarm. Johnson was then 13. Golden was 11.
Johnson was released from federal custody in 2005 when he turned 21. Golden turned 21 this year and was presumably released from federal custody.
In the current case, Groom said, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.