Suspect who evaded pursuit now in custody in North Dakota

A man who eluded Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies after an incident in which a woman, who he was reportedly holding against her will, jumped from his moving car is now jailed in North Dakota.

On January 25, the sheriff’s office received a report that Kevyn A. Johannesson, 32, was incarcerated in Williams County Correctional Center in Williston, North Dakota, spokesperson Deb Slater told The Northern Light in an email.

According to the Williams County Sheriff’s Office inmate database, Johannesson was arrested January 24 with several warrants for his arrest.

Sheriff’s office deputies were actively searching for Johannesson after establishing probable cause to arrest him on suspicion of eluding a police vehicle, unlawful imprisonment and driving with a suspended license. Johannesson also had a felony arrest warrant out of Montana.

Around noon on January 12, a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle for a traffic offense near Arnie and Blaine roads in Birch Bay; however, the vehicle sped off at over 100 mph, Slater reported. The vehicle then tried to lose the deputy in a residential area.

While in chase, the deputy saw a female passenger in the vehicle who was described as terrified and attempting to escape, Slater said. When the driver tried to make a U-turn, the woman jumped out of the vehicle while it was still moving.

The deputy then stopped the pursuit in order to assist the woman, who had minor abrasions on her hands and legs. Investigation determined Johannesson, who the sheriff’s office described as her boyfriend, had held her against her will in the vehicle.

The vehicle was later found abandoned in Birch Bay, but a K-9 unit was unable to locate Johannesson.