A prosecutor says a sheriff's department investigation found no evidence that Mitchell Johnson, who was convicted as a boy in the 1998 Jonesboro school shooting, has been mistreated while in jail on recent state charges.

Chief Deputy Prosecutor Shane Wilkinson told The Associated Press the investigation by the Benton County Sheriff's Office found "there was absolutely nothing to his claims, period." Johnson had complained about being attacked by other inmates at the Benton County jail while awaiting trial on felony theft and fraud charges.

In 1998, Johnson, then 13, and Andrew Golden, then 11, were arrested in the shooting deaths of four schoolmates at Westside Middle School and a teacher. They were held in state or federal custody until they turned 21.


(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Email To A Friend