Authorities have charged a Burnsville man with abducting his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint outside her Minnetonka workplace and fleeing.

Jahon K. Douglas, 37, was charged Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court with kidnapping, assault with a dangerous weapon and first-degree robbery in connection with the abduction of Nicole Smith, also 37, of Anoka.

Smith was seen being abducted outside her workplace on Bren Road about 4 p.m. on Dec. 21, according to police.

On Saturday, Smith persuaded Douglas to let her go, and she returned to her parents' home in Anoka in Douglas' car that afternoon, police said Thursday afternoon. She was physically unharmed.

"Our officers continue to work diligently to locate Jahon Douglas," Police Chief Scott Boerboom said in a statement. "We are working closely with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to investigate any information that could lead to his whereabouts."

Police have declined to say where she was held or how she persuaded Douglas to release her.

For the first time since the abduction a week ago, police on Thursday released a photograph and description of Douglas. He is 6 feet, 170 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

The pair have had a history of domestic turmoil, police said. Smith told police that Douglas planned to kill her and then himself, the criminal complaint read.

A week ago Thursday, Smith and a co-worker got in a car outside Minneapolis Mart, a showroom for wholesale home decor on Bren Road just northwest of where Hwys. 212 and 62 meet.

Douglas climbed in the back seat, pointed a gun at the co-worker's head and told the person to start driving. Douglas then pointed the gun at Smith and "threatened to blow her head off," the charges read.

Smith got out of the car, and Douglas followed and forced her into his car, the complaint continued.

Police have yet to recover a weapon and said he should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone with information on Douglas' location is asked to call 911.

Douglas' criminal history in Minnesota spans his adult life and includes two cases that are active in Anoka County: one filed in October alleging that he fled police while driving drunk and possessing marijuana, and the other filed a week earlier on charges of fleeing police and threatening violence.

He's been convicted three times in the state for assault, four times for illicit drug crimes, twice for drunken driving, once each for violating a court order for protection, property damage and disorderly conduct, and more than 20 times for driving after having his license revoked.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482