OTTUMWA – An Ottumwa man was arrested over the weekend on a warrant for allegedly violating his probation while being in possession of illegal drugs.

According to court records, 40-year-old Johnny Lee Walker was originally arrested earlier this year, on March 6. On that date, the Ottumwa Police Department conducted a traffic stop on West Mary Street. Walker was a passenger in the vehicle that was stopped, and he allegedly admitted to officers that he was in possession of a controlled substance when they were about to search the vehicle via a probable search warrant.

Court documents state that after Walker admitted to possessing a controlled substance, he took out a bag of marijuana from his pocket. Police also say they discovered a bag of a crystalline substance that later tested positive for methamphetamine. For this incident, Walker was arrested and later released on probation.

Online court records show that Walker has multiple prior drug convictions on his record, most recently pleading guilty to Controlled Substance Violation and Contempt related to violation of probation for an incident in March 2024. 

A warrant was issued for Walker to be arrested again on Friday, December 12. He was taken into custody the following day and now faces two new charges, including Possession of a Controlled Substance – 3rd or Subsequent Offense (class D felony), and Violation of Probation.