Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Man Accused of Sex Trafficking in Osage Beach Pleads Down to a Misdemeanor Charge

A Fort Smith, Arkansas, man initially accused of sex trafficking over the summer in Osage Beach and around the lake area is a free man today after avoiding a jury trial and entering a guilty plea.

43-year-old Johnnie Wesley Jackson had been charged with a felony for third-degree promoting prostitution. On Tuesday, Jackson entered a guilty plea instead to a misdemeanor charge of patronizing prostitution with subjects 18 years and older.

In exchange for the plea on a class-B misdemeanor, by comparison the equivalent of a first drunk driving in Missouri, Jackson was sentenced to 145 days in jail with credit for time served and $119.50 in court costs.