PORT ANGELES – Police arrested a Port Angeles man on Christmas Eve, suspected of dealing drugs and found to be in possession of an illegal, loaded sawed-off shotgun in his car.

Jesse Johns first got the attention of police when he was found asleep at the wheel of his car on Dec. 16 in the parking lot of the Fine Arts Center. In plain view was the sawed-off shotgun and burglary tools on the back seat. Also in plain view was a drug pipe.

Johns ignored multiple commands to step out of the vehicle and instead drove away “in a reckless manner”.

On December 24, officers were called to an auto parts store on a reported disturbance. They arrived to find Johns in the same car as before. Johns got out of the car and tried to walk away, but when officers told him he was under arrest he put up a fight and had to be wrestled into submission. He was taken into custody and evaluated on scene by paramedics.

A search warrant for the vehicle revealed the shotgun with a round in the chamber, about 100 pills, digital scales and a large quantity of cash.

Johns was booked into the Clallam County Jail on two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Possession of a Short-Barreled Shotgun, Possession of a Controlled Substance With Intent to Deliver and Resisting Arrest. The Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney will review the cases and make a charging decision.