KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A federal jury has convicted a couple on kidnapping charges after they tied up an elderly Jefferson County couple in June 2018 and stole their jewelry.
Josh Small, 50, and Joni Amber Johnson, 35, face a sentence of up to life in prison. They were convicted on July 10 after a three-day trial.
"Evidence at trial revealed that on June 30, 2018, Small and Johnson used a gun to force their way into the home of a 73-year-old Tennessee woman and tied her up," the release from the U.S. Dept. of Justice said. "Small and Johnson then stole jewelry, firearms, cash, a knife, and other items from the victim before taking her phone and leaving her with her hands and feet bound."
Both were arrested in West Virginia after Small was caught with several items stolen from the elderly woman.
Johnson's sentencing is set for Nov. 25 at 10 a.m. and Small's sentencing is set for Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. in U.S. District Court in Knoxville.
The investigation that led to these convictions was the product of a partnership between the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office; Knox County Sheriff’s Office; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; Mercer County, West Virginia, Sheriff’s Office; Virginia State Police; Giles County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office; Montgomery County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office; Bland County, Virginia, Sheriff’s Office; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF); and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).