Man held on $100k bail for fighting Minnesota State Trooper during Fillmore County traffic stop
Feb. 7—PRESTON — A 31-year-old Canton man is being held on a conditional $100,000 bail or bond for an incident last week where he fought with a Minnesota State Trooper during a traffic stop in Fillmore County.
Jacob Olias Erickson is charged with fourth-degree assault against a peace officer, fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and attempting to disarm a peace officer, all felonies. He also faces 10 other lower charges related to the incident. In court on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, District Judge Christopher Neisen also ordered Erickson to abstain from illegal drugs and alcohol.
Erickson's fight with a state trooper included using the trooper's own taser against him. A couple of drivers passing by who saw the incident helped subdue Erickson.
No future court date has been set.
According to the criminal complaint:
Erickson was pulled over Feb. 4, 2023, by a state trooper on U.S. Highway 52 near Fillmore County Road 21 due to suspicious driving. During the stop, the trooper noticed an open case of beer in the passenger seat of Erickson's Chevrolet Impala. Erickson's speech was slurred, he was breathing heavily, sweating and speaking rapidly.
When the trooper had Erickson get out of the vehicle to search him near the trooper's squad car, Erickson became agitated and pulled away from the officer.
Erickson ran towards his vehicle with the trooper in pursuit. Erickson was able to reach the vehicle's keys that were in the ignition before the trooper.
During this part of the incident, the trooper repeatedly told Erickson that he was under arrest and to get on the ground. The trooper tried to radio for help but he did not have service at the traffic stop location.
Erickson then got into the vehicle on the passenger side and began to throw chunks of ice and snow at the trooper, hitting him in the face.
The trooper pulled out his taser and warned Erickson to comply or he would be tased. Erickson pulled up several articles of clothing to block the deployment of the taser. The Trooper deployed the taser to no affect.
The Trooper deployed the taser again and Erickson was temporarily incapacitated. The trooper then went to grab the vehicle's keys, which fell to the ground.
Erickson grabbed the trooper and pulled him towards himself. When the trooper attempted to use his taser to drive stun Erickson, Erickson wrestled the taser away and used it on the trooper.
The trooper was able to regain control of the taser and he ran back into his vehicle, which he used to ram Erickson's vehicle into a ditch.
Erickson then tried to flee but the trooper was able to grab him. During that tussle, Erickson was able to kick the trooper's legs out from under him and the pair ended up on the ground with Erickson on top, pressing his knee into the trooper's groin.
The driver's of two vehicle's that were passing by stopped and helped subdue Erickson. The trooper was then able to call for back up from his squad car radio.
The trooper reported numbness in his left arm, where he was tased, and several abrasions from the fight.
A search of the vehicle found a small amount of marijuana and two one dollar bills that had residue on them that tested positive for cocaine.
Erickson has two prior driving while intoxicated convictions in Iowa from 2017 and 2015.
