Suspect arrested after pursuit in stolen vehicle

A suspect is behind bars after a pursuit with police in a stolen vehicle Tuesday.

Deputies were dispatched at 5:28 a.m. to the 300 block of Fairgrounds St in Garden City, where a resident reported that someone had driven away in his 2000 Chevy S-10 Blazer.  The keys had been left inside the vehicle, according to investigators.

The SUV was spotted by deputies on Highway 169 about three miles south of Garden City, with the owner’s son following in another vehicle.

The Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Phillip Gregory Johnson, 34, of South St. Paul.  Johnson initially pulled over, but refused to comply with commands from deputies. He then fled in the vehicle, according to a press release.

The pursuit went south of Highway 169 into Faribault County and reached speeds of up to 75 miles per hour.  The Blazer was boxed in and brought to a stop about a mile north of Winnebago after the Faribault County Sheriff’s Office joined in the pursuit, according to the release.

Johnson was the only occupant in the Blazer.  He was arrested on charges of motor vehicle theft and fleeing police in a motor vehicle.

Investigators say there was no property damage and no one was injured in the pursuit.