EVERETT — An Everett man who tried to outrun cops in a stolen motorhome is headed to prison for seven years.
James Johns on Thursday failed to persuade Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Michael Downes to send him to drug treatment for part of his prison sentence.
Johns had amassed a long rap sheet before he led police on a wild chase and broke into a Granite Falls home wearing only his underwear. A jury in February convicted Johns of three more felonies for the June 3 crime spree.
A 1997 Safari Trek motorhome was stolen from a Snohomish storage business. The owner’s friend called 911 about five hours later after he spotted the RV in the parking lot of the Walmart store on Evergreen Way in Everett.
An Everett police officer walked up to the vehicle and that’s when a woman jumped out and Johns hit the gas. He led police on a chase through Everett, hitting speeds of 70 mph. Officers called off the pursuit several times for safety reasons as Johns drove over curbs, ran red lights and cut off cars.
He lumbered onto U.S. 2 and headed toward Lake Stevens. At one point, a Washington State Patrol trooper threw down spike strips to puncture the motorhome’s tires. Johns swerved toward the officers, a trooper jumped out of the way and the RV avoided the spike strips.
Johns eventually crashed into several cars and plowed into a house in Granite Falls.
When he jumped out of the motorhome, he was wearing only underwear. He forced his way inside the house and demanded clothes. The residents fled and called 911.
When police found Johns upstairs, the 200-pound man had shimmied into a pair of women’s jeans and a T-shirt.
He was also wearing blue slippers.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley
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