After evading Rochester police in December, Byron man captured by Iowa State Patrol

ROCHESTER - Iowa state police over the weekend arrested the 39-year-old Byron, Minn., man who escaped Rochester police in December after a tense situation where one officer fired his gun.

Jesse James Johnson was arrested near Manly, Iowa, on Friday after a police chase that started when a state trooper tried to stop him in traffic for driving a stolen vehicle. He was taken to the Worth County jail on charges related to that incident, including eluding police and felony second-degree theft as well as a hold for a warrant in Olmsted County.

Olmsted County sheriff's deputies said Monday they will start an extradition process to bring Johnson back to Minnesota once he has gone through court proceedings in Iowa.

Johnson evaded Rochester police and sheriff's deputies on Dec. 14 near Planet Fitness at the 1000 block of 15^th Avenue SE. after officers tried to arrest him on assault charges.

Johnson was charged with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, third-degree assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm in September after a June incident where he allegedly brandished a gun in someone's face and knocked them unconscious. He failed to appear at a court hearing in October.

In the December incident, deputies tried to box Johnson in with their vehicles but Johnson smashed into two police cars to make his escape. Deputy Sean Cooper fired one round at the car Johnson was driving as he escaped.

Olmsted County Attorney Mark Ostrem in January declined to pursue charges against Cooper, saying his use of deadly force was justified. Ostrem's office is reviewing charges against Johnson for his escape from police in December.