CAPTURED

After four days on the run, Mariposa County Sheriff’s deputies captured Jonathan Mishael Bays last week at a homeless camp near Mariposa Creek, not too far from the apartment building where Bays allegedly attacked a man with a sword.

Bays, 41, is charged by warrant with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated mayhem. He is being held without bail, his arraignment is postponed until Tuesday so his public defender could appear with him in court.

For the victim, Andrew Cooper, the journey of recovery from the violent attack is just beginning.

Cooper, 32, has lost two digits from his left hand — his index and middle fingers — and may yet lose his thumb, his mother, Rebecca Cooper, told the Mariposa Gazette.

She said her son has more than 50 staples in his head and deep gashes in his arm from where her son was struck with the sword.

Cooper was transferred from UC Davis Medical Center where he underwent two surgeries and is currently in a rehabilitation facility in Sacramento.

Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese said the incident began with a methamphetamine fueled argument inside the Creekside Apartments around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 23.

Cooper told his mother he was sitting on a couch at his friend’s apartment when Bays began striking him with the sword from behind.

Cooper told his mother he believes it was retaliation from a confrontation he had with Bays the week before.

Security video captured Bays fleeing from the apartment. He then fled down a trail along Mariposa Creek, where there are scattered homeless encampments.

The area is thick with brush and borders three apartment complexes and the Idle Wheels mobile home park, where many senior residents live.

The fugitive manhunt made for a tense Memorial Day Weekend as law enforcement conducted saturation patrols of the area with a helicopter, drones and K-9s.

Mariposa county sheriff’s deputies captured Bays four days later, on May 27, after he returned to one of the homeless encampments tucked up into the hillside. He was inside a tent when deputies apprehended him.

Video posted by the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office shows Bays in handcuffs after his arrest being led to a squad car after his arrest. “You’re going to film that now,” Bays said. “I hope you get a lot of money for that.”

The sheriff said Bays used multiple aliases — including Michael and Aaron — and people may know him by another name.

Since November 2025, Bays has been wanted by Idaho law enforcement for a parole violation after being convicted of sexual abuse of a minor.

In court last Friday, prosecutors said Bays has a criminal history that includes 10 felonies from various states.

He has no criminal history in Mariposa County.

Sheriff Briese said Bays first showed up around town a year ago, but had recently dropped off the radar. He was transient and known to frequent homeless camps around the town of Mariposa, the sheriff said.

All three public defenders who serve Mariposa County recused themselves from representing Bays saying they have a conflict of interest because they represent clients who were in the apartment where the assault took place.

Merced Attorney Tina Hutson has been assigned as Bays’ public defender. She was expected to talk to her client on Monday.

As for Cooper, the victim, his mother said he has a long road ahead with additional surgeries and reconstructive plastic surgery on his arm and hand expected.

His mother said he will have to relearn basic life skills like how to tie his shoes.

Cooper did weed whacking and other outdoor gardening jobs for a living.

His mother doesn’t know what her son will now do for employment.

His injuries may not all be physical.

“I worry more about the scars you can’t see,” Cooper said.