Springdale Businessman Arrested, Accused of Transporting Marijuana

Monte Johnston, owner of the Springdale-based Automatic Auto Finance dealership franchise, was recently arrested in Springdale and is facing two felony charges for allegedly bringing a variety of marijuana products back from Colorado.

While there, according to the Springdale Police Department, Johnston consulted with pot industry representatives about opening his own dispensaries in Massachusetts, Hawaii and Colorado.

Police arrested Johnston, 45, on the night of Aug. 5, shortly after flying into Springdale Municipal Airport, where law enforcement — guessing he was transporting marijuana from Denver — awaited his arrival.

According to a police report, arresting officers found the following in Johnston’s possession: high-grade marijuana, the Groovy Granola Bar, pot-infused massage lotion, e-cigarette vaporizers with pot infused liquid, Ambien, Alprazolam (Xanax), Lorazepam, and a glass pipe with burnt marijuana in it.

A drug dog named Xato alerted to the presence of illegal substances, and following the arrest, Johnston’s black GMC truck was seized, according to a police report.

Johnston was arrested and taken to the Washington County jail for possession of marijuana with the purpose to deliver and possession of drug paraphernalia, both Class D felonies, and possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

Johnston has not been officially charged with anything, said prosecuting attorney Matt Durrett. Johnston’s arraignment, where he will be apprised of his rights and any possible charges, is scheduled for Sept. 2 in Washington County Circuit Court. If charged with a felony, Johnston faces up to six years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. It is unclear if Johnston has an attorney in the case.

A Johnston associate, Ricky Hancock, 52, was also arrested for two drug-related misdemeanors, according to a Springdale police report.

Initial Investigation

On Aug. 1, the Saturday prior to Johnston’s arrest near the airport, Johnston was arrested in connection with a domestic dispute at his in-laws’ Springdale house, according to a police report. Johnston got into a physical altercation with his father in-law, Phil Phillips, when Johnston allegedly tried to muscle his way into the Phillips house to see his daughter. According to a police report, Phillips was able to repel Johnston not once but twice, and at one point subdued Johnston with a choke hold.

When police arrived at the Phillips home, Johnston was sitting on the curb in front of the home, and according to police, was “visibly upset.” Due to being belligerent with a responding officer — Johnston allegedly let loose with a profanity laced tirade when a police officer asked him to sit down — he was arrested for loitering and obstructing governmental operations, both Class C misdemeanors punishable by up to a $500 fine and up to 30 days in jail on each charge.

His arraignment date is Aug. 31 in Springdale District Court, according to Springdale city attorney Earnest Cate.

According to police reports, in the aftermath of the Aug. 1 arrest and during the follow up investigation of the Phillips incident, police discovered that Johnston traveled to Denver quite often — a private jet waited for him on the tarmac even as he was being arrested at the Phillips house — that he traveled out of the Springdale airport, and that he wanted to open a marijuana dispensary.

In his Aug. 2 report, officer Patrick Olcott wrote: “I asked them [the in-laws] about the numerous trips to Denver that Mr. Johnston has been making, and they informed me that he is trying to make a deal with legalized marijuana companies in the [Denver] area.”

The state of Colorado voted to legalize the sale and use of marijuana in Nov. 2012.  

On Aug. 2, the day after the domestic dispute arrest, police, mindful of all they had heard, checked an Internet tracking site for airports, and noticed that a roundtrip flight from Springdale to Denver had taken place that afternoon, according to a police report. They checked the tracking sight a second time on Aug. 5, and noticed that the same plane that had flown roundtrip on Aug. 2 was flying roundtrip to Denver yet again.

In his Aug. 7 report, officer John Mackey wrote: “Detective Ross and I drove to the airport [on Aug. 5] prior to the flight arriving and parked where we could see Johnston’s vehicle. At approximately 21:30 hours (9:30 p.m.) a private aircraft landed and taxied to a hangar. Detective Ross and I watched as four people got off the aircraft … A male who Detective Ross and I both identified as Johnston (by using binoculars) walked from the aircraft to the truck we earlier identified as belonging to him.”

Johnston was arrested shortly thereafter as he headed south on Powell Street. During the investigation leading up to the Aug. 5 arrest, police found out that Johnston had allegedly spent as much as $150,000 traveling back and forth from Denver, and that his family had concerns about “strange and erratic behavior.”

Johnston’s wife, Brooke Johnston, in Washington County Circuit Court filed for an order of protection the day after Johnston’s Aug. 5 arrest, citing a “psychotic event” in Hawaii. Johnston responded on Aug. 10 by filing for a divorce and primary custody of the couple’s three children.

Automatic Auto Finance includes dealerships in Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers, Siloam Springs, Fort Smith and Fayetteville.