Stewartville Felon Pleads Guilty in Armed Motorcycle Theft Case

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A convicted felon from Stewartville entered a plea deal to settle an armed motorcycle theft case and two other fleeing cases.  

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26-year-old James Michael Kenyon was charged last month with felony counts of theft, possession of a firearm as a felon, possession of a short-barreled shotgun,  misdemeanor counts of firearm possession while under the influence of a controlled substance and felon in possession of ammunition. 

He was arrested on Nov. 20 after a brief foot chase in Stewartville. 

Kenyon entered guilty pleas Thursday to the felony theft charge and felony short-barreled firearm possession count. He also agreed to plead guilty to a felon in possession of a firearm charge in a separate case in which he was accused of fleeing law enforcement in a motor vehicle in October. 

In exchange the state has agreed to dismiss the other charges in the fleeing and motorcycle theft cases and to drop a second felony fleeing case against Kenyon that was also filed in October.

The agreement does not specify a sentence and gives Kenyon the option to go directly into treatment prior to his sentencing hearing. 

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office says a deputy responding to the report of a stolen motorcycle in Stewartville spotted Kenyon wheeling the motorcycle into a Stewartville storage unit. Kenyon took off on foot after complying with instructions to place his hands on the deputy’s squad car.

The deputies said Kenyon appeared to have been reaching into a jacket pocket during the chase. When the deputies caught him they found a sawed-off shotgun in Kenyon’s jacket pocket. 

Court records indicate Kenyon has a lengthy history of felony offenses including multiple convictions for fleeing and theft. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in February.

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