Parolee who allegedly dropped backpack off bridge facing charges
A local parolee sought on a warrant was arrested on multiple charges Tuesday after allegedly walking away from Hot Springs police officers and tossing a backpack off a bridge that reportedly contained drugs and a gun.
Darryl Lavell Williams, 29, who lists a Crescent Street address, was taken into custody shortly before 1 p.m. and charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 30 years, and possession of a firearm by certain persons and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to 20 years.
A woman reportedly walking with him, identified as Carol L.S. Johnson, 27, who lists a Bismarck address, was also arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, a felony punishable by up to six years in prison.
Williams and Johnson, who is also a parolee, were both being held on zero bonds and were set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
Williams pleaded guilty on Dec. 9, 2019, to four counts of aggravated assault and one count of possession of a firearm by certain persons stemming from an incident on Nov. 25, 2018, where he forced his way into a house on Alcorn Street and pointed a gun at four small children before being shot by a resident there. Williams was sentenced to six years in prison on the charges while a more serious charge of aggravated residential burglary was withdrawn. He reportedly claimed he was at the wrong house and had been sent
there to collect money owed to another person.
Williams was arrested on Feb. 18 on a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, punishable by up to 20 years, and released that same day on a $5,000 bond. He is set to be arraigned on that charge on March 28.
Johnson pleaded guilty on Dec. 8, 2020, to possession of meth with purpose to deliver and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 15 years suspended, but had since been paroled.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the new charges, shortly after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, HSPD Officer John Albright spotted Williams walking with Johnson on East Grand Avenue toward Gorge Road and a computer check showed Williams had a parole violation warrant, so he activated his lights and siren to get the two to stop.
Williams reportedly turned around, looked at Albright and continued walking away. Williams and Johnson stopped on the bridge, just prior to Gorge Road, where Williams stepped up to the guard rail with a black backpack on his shoulder.
Officers ordered him to step down and remove the bag so they could take him into custody on the warrant, but he allegedly refused to comply. As officers stepped toward him to grab his arms, he stepped forward and dropped the bag off the side of the bridge.
Officers pulled him off the guard rail and placed him in custody and detained Johnson who was found to also have a parole violation warrant, so she also was arrested.
Officers retrieved the backpack, which was allegedly found to contain a plastic bag with 48.4 grams of what later tested positive for meth, a silver and black 9-mm handgun, several smaller baggies, digital scales and unused syringes.
Officers also searched a bag Johnson was carrying that reportedly contained a syringe with 20 dosage units of a clear liquid that later tested positive for meth.