Central Texas businesswoman indicted

Sherre Lynn Johnston, 52, of Lorena, has been indicted by a Waco grand jury on one charge of prohibited substance in a correctional facility, a state jail felony, according to county documents.

The indictment alleges Johnston took the controlled substance Alprazolam, commonly known as Xanax, into the McLennan County Jail on July 20, 2018.

At the time, Johnston was in the middle of serving a 180 jail sentence after she was convicted on two counts of driving while intoxicated.

The judge agreed to allow her to serve her time on weekends, which records show she started Jan. 19, 2018.

At some point, Johnston stopped her weekend service temporarily, but jail officials said they could not disclose why due to potential HIPAA violations.

Records show Johnston resumed her weekend service in June.

When she arrived to be booked for the weekend on July 20, jailers said Johnston appeared to have been drinking, so they gave her a test via a handheld Intoxilyzer, which determined she was over the legal alcohol limit, according to the jail report.

The report goes on to say, while jailers were changing Johnston into her inmate uniform, the controlled substance was found.

Johnston stayed jailed to finish out her sentence and remains free on bond.

Johnston has been arrested locally at least six times since 2016 on various charges including burglary in connection with a break-in on the property of McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara in May 2017.

That case is still open, KWTX confirmed Thursday.

Johnston owns a clothing boutique in Waco.