Rochester ‘predator catcher’ trial complicated by possible addition of Mathew Adamson evidence
Chase Taner Johnston, 2023 / Olmsted County ADC
(ABC 6 News) – UPDATE: Olmsted County Court filed an order to reschedule Chase Taner Johnston’s trial. A new date had not been selected Wednesday, Feb. 28.
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(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester man’s trial has been slightly delayed while his defense combs through evidence involving a former Olmsted County deputy accused of soliciting a minor.
Chase Taner Johnston, 29, has appeared in court this week for jury selection.
He faces charges of false imprisonment, stalking, and 5th-degree assault after allegedly attempting to catfish a man at an apartment complex, then refusing to let the man leave.
Johnston, a self-described “predator catcher,” is known for texting individuals using a child’s persona, then confronting and filming those people in person.
RELATED: Rochester ‘predator catcher’ to stand trial on stalking, DWI charges – ABC 6 News – kaaltv.com
Earlier in the month, the prosecution filed a motion to introduce evidence that Johnston had committed assault gotten “physical” during several 2022 “sting” attempts.
On Thursday, Feb. 22, Johnston’s defense requested a brief continuance of the trial, and requested police and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) notes from Jan. 1, 2022, through Feb. 2024 about any times when Johnston spoke to law enforcement about former Olmsted County deputy Mathew Adamson.
Adamson was arrested on charges of attempting to solicit a minor after a BCA and RPD sting in November of 2023.
Adamson’s trial — on the charges of child solicitation, as well as later charges of possession of child pornography, and using hidden cameras to photograph children and women without their knowledge — are scheduled for August of this year.
Johnston’s defense filed a request for any police and dispatch reports involving Johnston and Adamson, including an apparent attempt by Johnston to report Adamson for child solicitation in May of 2022.
The jury trial is scheduled to resume Monday, Feb. 26.
Johnston pleaded guilty to domestic assault in October of 2022, and to 5th-degree assault in July of 2023, after assaulting a man during a catfishing attempt where Johnston pretended to be a teenager seeking advice on coming out to his parents.
According to court documents, his previous convictions upgrade the stalking charge from a gross misdemeanor to a felony.