Authorities have charged a Duluth man with three felony counts after he was arrested following a brief police chase Tuesday.
Michael John Wells, 26, was formally charged this morning with fleeing police in a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
St. Louis County District Court Judge Gerald C. Martin set bail at $80,000. Well's next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 5. He is being held at the St. Louis County Jail.
Duluth police officers, along with investigators from the Superior Police Department and the Lake Superior Drug and Gang Task Force, arrested Wells shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday at Superior Street and 25th Avenue East following a brief motor vehicle chase in a vehicle recently stolen from Superior.
According to the Duluth Police Department, Wells was being sought on an outstanding felony arrest warrant.
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A warrant was issued in October in Douglas County for Wells' arrest for felony charges of taking a motor vehicle without the owner's consent and fleeing officers in a motor vehicle, and misdemeanor charges of battery and disorderly conduct. Those charges were filed in March.
According to Duluth police, investigators received information that Wells may have had a sawed-off firearm and made threats that he would not be taken alive. Wells had a loaded .22-caliber Marlin rifle when police arrested him. During a police interview, Wells admitted to trading methamphetamine for the gun, police said.
According to the criminal complaint:
During the pursuit, a Duluth police officer telephoned Wells' mother. She said her son had called her and told her he loved her and that he was being pursued by police. She said she told her son to throw the gun out the window so he would not be injured. Wells told her he was not going to do so because he didn't want to reach into the back seat to grab the weapon. The defendant's mother said she was on the phone with police dispatch when the defendant was being apprehended.
Wells told police he didn't stop because he knew Superior police were looking for him.
The rifle found in Wells' backseat was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition. About 127 live rounds were found in a backpack in the car, the complaint said.
According to Duluth police, Wells was the subject of a recent police investigation into allegations that he had threatened to kill his girlfriend in Superior.
Wells has criminal records in both St. Louis and Douglas counties. Past charges include substantial battery, battery, fighting, domestic assault, making terrorist threats, underage drinking and reckless driving.
