I-80 shooter from Belvidere, exchanged fire with state trooper
By Isabella Wilson
The suspect in a police shootout last week along Interstate 80 near Tipton was from Belvidere, Illinois.
Charles Johnston, 60, has now been charged with attempted murder and assault on a peace officer with a dangerous weapon.
He is being held in the Cedar County Jail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday.
Johnston is accused of firing rounds at motorists on I-80 and at a Pilot truck stop near Atalissa last Thursday.
During the incident, Johnston is accused of exchanging fire with an Iowa State Trooper.
The name of that trooper has not yet been released, but the officers involved in the incident were interviewed earlier this week.
Local 4 News checked court records in Boone County, Illinois, where Johnston is reported to live and there were no records of arrests in that county.
