MOBILE, AL—A Mobile County woman, Jessica Defloren Tubb, aka “Allie,” 37, was sentenced on May 12, 2022 to 15 years in prison for drug crimes, including actions that caused the overdose death of Kelsey Johnston.
Tubb was charged with 41 others in October 2020 for her involvement with the Crossley Hill drug trafficking organization which operated in Mobile County and elsewhere, distributing various controlled substances, including heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, Xanax, Oxycodone, Opana, and Roxicodone to customers in Southern Alabama and elsewhere. Tubb plead guilty in March, 2021 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession of fentanyl with the intent to distribute. Tubb also admitted in her guilty plea that she injected fentanyl into Kelsey Johnston that caused her death. United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer handed down the sentence.
Testimony at the March 2022 jury trial of William Grant Owens, aka “Whip,” established that Tubb operated as the “right-hand man” or “do-girl” for Owens. The testimony established that, among other things, Tubb sold drugs for Owens, held drugs for him, operated as a human tester of the drugs, particularly the heroin and fentanyl, and that she injected Owens’ customers with drugs.
The trial testimony further established that Owens directed Tubb to obtain the fentanyl and bring it to him on October 11, 2018, at the Rode Way Inn, in Tillman’s Corner. Owens prepared the fentanyl on a spoon and had Tubb inject Ms. Johnston at approximately 3:00 to 4:00 AM. Almost instantly, Ms. Johnston lost consciousness and was struggling to breathe. Dr. Cameron Snider, a Forensic Pathologist with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, testified that fentanyl attacks the lungs causing them to fill with fluid and impairs the respiratory system, which ultimately caused the death of Ms. Johnston’s death in this case. An eyewitness, who was also a drug user, testified that she attempted to assist Johnston and could hear a disturbing gurgling/gasping sound from her lungs. Neither Owens nor Tubb sought any medical assistance for Johnston and they ultimately left her in the hotel room after she overdosed. The body of the deceased Kelsey Johnston was found the next morning at approximately 11:00 when housekeeping personnel came in to clean the room.
Owens was convicted at trial and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Moorer on June 30, 2022.
The investigation and prosecution of this case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mobile Police Department and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Baldwin County Drug Task Force, and the Saraland Police Department also provided key investigative support to the investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys George F. May and Luis F. Peral, Lead OCDETF Attorney.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama at http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdal/