Joint KCSO and KPD Investigation Leads to Convictions

DA Charme Allen announces that prosecutors in the Career Gang Unit obtained multiple convictions against two individuals caught with multiple drugs and guns.  Bradley Donovan Johnson, 39, and Natia Natice Kelso, 26, were convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Marijuana, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Dangerous Felony, Maintaining a Drug Dwelling, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  Judge Hector Sanchez revoked their bonds, ordered them into custody, and set the case for sentencing on June 24.  Johnson faces a minimum of seventy-two years in prison because of his thirteen prior felony convictions.

In a four-day trial, Assistant District Attorneys TaKisha Fitzgerald and Molly Martin explained to the jury that on April 23, 2025, detectives with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office and Knoxville Police Department were conducting surveillance in a joint drug investigation.  Detectives followed Johnson from a home in Corryton to an apartment on Washington Avenue.  When a marked KPD unit attempted to stop Johnson, he fled on foot and was quickly apprehended.  A KCSO K9 unit alerted to the odor of drugs in the vehicle, and detectives found 116 grams of marijuana.  Detectives then obtained a search warrant for Johnson and Kelso’s residence and located approximately 337 grams of fentanyl, 488 grams of cocaine, 644 grams of marijuana, a rifle, and a handgun.

“These offenders have been found guilty, and these drugs have been removed from the streets because of the cooperation of the law enforcement agencies who worked together to investigate this case,” said DA Allen.

Because of the amount of fentanyl involved, the Possession with Intent to Sell Fentanyl count is a Class A felony.  Kelso is facing a minimum sentence of eighteen years in prison.  Johnson, however, is facing a minimum of seventy-two years in prison because he has thirteen prior felony convictions, including convictions for Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Burglary, Aggravated Assault, and Kidnapping.  Assistant Victim Witness Coordinator Sheri Burkett and Legal Secretary Cathleen Wilson aided in the prosecution of this case.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.