Woman sentenced after providing drugs that killed a man

HARALSON COUNTY, Ga. – On February 12, 2024, Jessica Marie Johnson pled guilty to Distribution of Methamphetamine and Involuntary Manslaughter, she was sentenced to 30 years with 15 years to serve.

This case began on April 2, 2021, when Haralson County Sheriff’s deputies, fire fighters and EMS were dispatched to a psychiatric call involving a male, Dennis Raines, 33 years old of Buchanan Georgia, who was fighting air, acting out of control and unsteady on his feet.

First responders were able to get him in the ambulance and transported him to the Emergency Room where he passed away.

The autopsy revealed that Dennis Raines had died of methamphetamine toxicity.

The investigation was worked by the Haralson Paulding (now Northwest GA) Drug Task Force, and they found sufficient evidence that Jessica Marie Johnson distributed the methamphetamine to Dennis Raines, and she was arrested for that charge in 2022.

This case was presented to the Grand Jury in Haralson County Georgia and Jessica Marie Johnson was indicted for Distribution of Methamphetamine and she was also indicted for Felony Murder, so a warrant was issued by the Grand Jury for that charge. Jessica Marie Johnson, a 46-year-old W/F out of Carrollton, Georgia will be sent to prison to begin serving her 15 years.

“When I started seeing other jurisdictions in Georgia hold drug dealers responsible for the deaths they caused, I reached out to our District Attorney’s Office and they were on board with prosecuting these cases,” states Sheriff Stacy Williams. “I thank our District Attorney’s Office for their diligence in this case. I believe that this sends a strong message out to those who try to bring in and sell this poison in Haralson County. If you deal drugs here, we will find you and arrest you, our record on shutting down drug houses in the last three years speaks for itself. If you sell drugs that cause the death of another, you will be prosecuted for that death.”