A newly filed lawsuit has raised serious concerns over law enforcement practices at the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, as the family of Brittany Marie Johnson has filed a lawsuit against Brunswick County officials and law enforcement personnel.
The suit, filed on December 27, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, alleges that Brittany Johnson was wrongfully used as a confidential informant (CI), ultimately leading to her tragic death on December 26, 2022.
The family is represented by Civil Rights attorney Ira Braswell of Braswell Law, PLLC in Louisburg, North Carolina.
The complaint, filed by Brittany Johnson’s mother, Tina Marie Johnson, and other representatives of her estate, outlines a disturbing series of events. The lawsuit names multiple defendants, including Brunswick County Sheriff Brian M. Chism, deputies Alexander Melvin and Timmie Clemmons, and probation officer Alice Camden Alessandra, among others.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the claim that law enforcement officers coerced Brittany Johnson into acting as a confidential informant despite being on probation for drug possession and actively participating in a rehabilitation program. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) allegedly failed to follow established procedures prohibiting probationers from being used as CIs without proper authorization.
Deputies assigned to the Brunswick County Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) inserted Brittany Johnson into an active narcotics investigation involving dangerous drug traffickers, according to the lawsuit. This, the plaintiffs argue, led to her exposure as a CI and, ultimately, her death from methamphetamine toxicity under suspicious circumstances.
A Fatal Setup: Alleged Law Enforcement Misconduct
The lawsuit accuses BCSO of recklessly endangering Brittany’s life by installing a surveillance program in her vehicle’s infotainment unit that openly displayed “Brunswick County Surveillance Unit.” According to the complaint, this made it inevitable that drug dealers would discover her cooperation with authorities.
William Collins Jr. and Spencer Chatman, two alleged drug traffickers mentioned in the lawsuit, reportedly became aware of Brittany’s role as a CI. The lawsuit claims that despite this knowledge, BCSO officers failed to take any measures to protect her.
Adding to the allegations, the complaint states that Collins, while under active GPS monitoring by probation officer Alice Alessandra, continued selling drugs and violating his parole without repercussions. Just days before Brittany’s death, Collins was allegedly observed engaging in drug transactions during “controlled buys” supervised by the DEU, yet he was not arrested.
On the night of December 26, 2022, Brittany Johnson was reportedly injected with a lethal dose of methamphetamine, known as a “hot shot.” The plaintiffs claim this fatal dose was linked to drugs obtained through BCSO-funded transactions.
Failure to Investigate and Destruction of Evidence
One of the most damning allegations the lawsuit alleges is that BCSO detectives, particularly Timmie Clemmons, refused to properly investigate Brittany Johnson’s death. Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding her passing, the lawsuit claims that officials hastily classified her death as an “accidental overdose” without a thorough investigation.
Family members who later searched Brittany’s home allegedly found syringes containing blood and unknown substances. These were turned over to BCSO for forensic testing, but the lawsuit asserts that the evidence was destroyed without explanation.
Furthermore, the lawsuit states that efforts to obtain investigative records related to Brittany’s death have been obstructed by the sheriff’s office, raising concerns about a possible cover-up.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages for wrongful death, constitutional violations, and law enforcement negligence. They argue that Brittany’s rights under the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments were violated, including unlawful search and seizure, failure to protect, and reckless endangerment.
The lawsuit demands compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorneys’ fees. Additionally, it calls for accountability in law enforcement practices regarding the use of confidential informants, particularly individuals who are vulnerable due to probationary status or substance abuse history.
This touches my heart I went to school with her growing up I always thought she was so beautiful, it’s sad her life came to a end so tragically she didn’t deserve this fate her daughter or family don’t deserve this pain. Praying for justice and healing 🙏🏼💓
Thank you for shedding light on this! I am Brittany was a dear friend of mine! As a lifelong resident of Brunswick county I can tell you there’s definitely some shady things going on with the sheriffs department. They definitely don’t take a lot of things serious, especially when it comes to methamphetamine. They think people are just paranoid and high, but what they don’t fail to realize is how dangerous people are when they are paranoid and high my husband was kidnapped and shot and the only reason he’s alive is because he fought for his life and by the grace of God made it out of the situation Wow some of the people that were involved went to prison. They’re going to be released soon and I fear that his life my life and our children’s life are in danger. They will retaliate for gone to prison and the sheriffs department has done. Nothing to help protect our family , they definitely don’t monitor controlled buys the way they should and they definitely try to cut corners to get a conviction leaving people exposed to like Brittany was had they Been more thorough and proper she would still be here!!!
❤️❤️❤️