Man with 8 active arrest warrants arrested in Douglas County
ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (KVRR) — A 49-year-old Inver Grove Heights man who had eight active arrest warrants was brought into the Douglas County Jail Saturday morning.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office says Don Johnson was arrested after running from police several times and stealing multiple vehicles.
The first pursuit by Alexandria Police officers began Thursday night when the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office received information that there was a stolen vehicle in the area of Douglas County and Alexandria.
Authorities say Johnson was driving a stolen pickup and trailer, and he fled when officers tried to stop him at around 9 p.m.
After deputies and officers stopped chasing him, On-Star contacted dispatch saying the vehicle was parked on the east side of Alexandria. When officers arrived, Johnson had disconnected the stolen trailer and gotten back into the stolen pickup and drove off.
Authorities say he did not stop until the pursuit ended on the east side of Lake Geneva in the woods where Johnson got out of the pickup and ran away.
A perimeter was set up and Douglas County K-9s were called in to track Johnson. During the track, deputies heard Johnson tell them he had a gun. The Douglas County SWAT Team was activated because of threat and safety concerns.
The search was called off after Johnson seemingly got through the perimeter. The stolen pickup was found and towed to the Alexandria Police Department for processing.
The next morning, the Douglas County Sheriff’s received a report that a vehicle was stolen at a home on East Lake Geneva Road.
When deputies investigated, they say it appeared that a person had entered the home from a walk-out basement entry on the lake-side of the house. They also think the person had concealed themselves behind a couch. There were five people in the home at that time who were sleeping.
Deputies say that at some point, the person went to the upstairs portion of the house, entered the garage and then stole a 2016 Jeep that was parked in the garage. The Jeep was later found near 15th Avenue and Elm Street around noon in Alexandria.
Deputies continued looking for Johnson. At around 7 p.m., deputies found out that he was at a home in the city of Carlos.
After getting a no-knock search warrant for that home, the Douglas County SWAT team tried to execute the warrant, but Johnson drove off on a stolen motorcycle.
As deputies began looking for Johnson and the motorcycle, the SWAT team executed the search warrant on the home and found several firearms.
Johnson was found in the woods on East Lake Carlos Road. Authorities say he was sitting on the motorcycle which was running. Johnson revved the engine several times and then spun the motorcycle around and headed directly at the deputy. At that point a pursuit was initiated. Johnson ignored and avoided on-coming squad cars that were trying to stop him. The pursuit lasted for around 10 miles.
The pursuit ended near Brophy Park on County Road 82 when Johnson lost control of the motorcycle. The motorcycle and Johnson slid into the ditch. Johnson immediately got up and ran to the south. A perimeter was formed. A Douglas County deputy with a K-9 was on scene, and once additional support arrived, a track with the K-9 was started. The K-9 tracked Johnson and found him underneath a vehicle. The K-9 was deployed after Johnson would not comply with repeated commands from deputies.
Johnson rolled out from underneath the vehicle, and deputies continued to order him to surrender. Authorities say he raised his left hand and kept his right hand behind his back at his waist line. Deputies say Johnson told them he had a gun. The K-9 was re-deployed, and Johnson was arrested. Deputies did not find a gun on him.
Johnson was taken to jail Saturday morning after getting treated at Alomere Hospital in Alexandria overnight.
He will stay in jail pending his first court appearance.
Johnson had eight active arrest warrants at the time he was arrested. Authorities say two other stolen motorcycles and a stolen Camaro were found at the home in Carlos. The investigation continues.
