Baltimore City Council President's Aide Facing Weapons Violation Charges In Baltimore County

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Baltimore City Council President's assistant pleaded guilty on Monday to having a loaded handgun in her car.

A Baltimore County Court sentenced Jade Kala Johnson, 24, to probation before judgment. This means she can expunge her conviction if she completes one year of mandated unsupervised probation.

According to charging documents, Baltimore County Police pulled Johnson over on June 6 because they believed the windows of her Volkswagen Tiguan were tinted darker than the state limit. Police say they smelled marijuana when approaching the vehicle, which gave them probable cause for a search.

Johnson initially faced drug possession charges with intent to distribute and weapons violations.

Police found a 9mm handgun loaded with 16 rounds in the glove box and another 16-round magazine. Police additionally seized a digital scale and more than 5 ounces of marijuana.

According to court documents, Johnson was in the process of moving at the time of the arrest and had the gun's lock box in the trunk.

Jonhson was a recent hire by the city and is not listed in Baltimore City's employment database. She is represented by prominent defense attorney Warren Brown, who confirmed her employment status as an aide to Baltimore City Council President Nick Mosby.

Johnson was not alone in her car on June 6. A passenger, 29-year-old Bernard Beasley, accompanied her. In June, Johnson said that the marijuana in the vehicle belonged to Beasley and that he claimed responsibility for them.

On Monday, Beasley pleaded guilty to possessing more than 10 grams of marijuana.

Fox 45 News reports that Johnson's attorney, Warren Brown, was confident Johnson's charges would be resolved without jail time and said it was not "a big deal."