Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man is headed to prison for his conviction on a charge of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. 24-year-old Travers McDaniels earlier pleaded guilty to the charge in exchange for the dismissal of three other felony charges connected to the theft of a Rochester Police squad car last fall.

McDaniels was arrested in September after police used a tracking device to locate the stolen police vehicle in a neighborhood near Slatterly Park, where a K9 officer quickly ended his attempt to flee on foot. The squad car was stolen near the Olmsted County Fairgrounds after an officer went to check on a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of 16th street southeast. While the officer was speaking with the female driver, McDaniels got out of the passenger seat, ran to the squad car, and sped off even though the officer tried to grab him and pull him out of the driver’s seat. Another motorist saw what was happening and parked in front of the squad car, but McDaniels was still able to drive away after crashing into the man’s vehicle.

McDaniels was sentenced today to 5 years in prison, which he will serve concurrently with a 2-year prison term for violating a restraining order in an earlier domestic abuse case. His criminal history also includes an attempt to break out of the Olmsted County Jail in 2014 that failed because he was too large to squeeze through the small opening after breaking the window in his cell.

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