Oak Hill woman convicted of drug conspiracy and child neglect

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) – A 36-year-old Oak Hill woman has been convicted of murder, according to Fayette County District Attorney Anthony Ciliberti, Jr.

According to Ciliberti, Annette M. Johnson was suspected in October 2022 of drug trafficking after a vehicle was stopped in Oak Hill after leaving Johnson’s home. During that stop, Ciliberti says law enforcement officers seized several packages of suspected controlled substances that the driver said were from Johnson.

From December 2022 to February 2023, law enforcement conducted undercover purchases of suspected heroin, fentanyl and methamphetamine from Johnson and others at Johnson’s home, Ciliberti said.

Ciliberti said the investigation found Johnson was the source of the illegal drug supply, and she used other people to sell the drugs during the time period. Ciliberti also said Johnson’s child was there during two of the undercover drug buys.

On February 14, 2023, a search warrant was executed at Johnson’s home and other suspected illegal drugs were found both on Johnson’s person and in the home, according to Ciliberti.

Lab tests showed the drugs Johnson sold were fentanyl and methamphetamine, Ciliberti said.

Johnson was sentenced to twenty years in prison for the felony count of conspiracy to deliver not less than five nor more than fifty grams of methamphetamine, and to not less than one nor more than five years for the felony count of neglect of a child that created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death.

Johnson was also sentenced to twenty-five years of extended supervised release in connection with the gross child neglect conviction. The period of extended supervised release does not begin until Johnson serves his sentence or completes parole. The period of extended supervised release can be exchanged for a prison term of up to twenty-five years if Johnson violates the terms of her supervised release.