MASON CITY – A wanted Mason City man led police on a dangerous, high-speed chase on his motorcycle that didn’t end until he got to Butler county.
On August 7, 2017 at about 12:49 AM, a Cerro Gordo county deputy attempted to stop a 2002 Honda CBR600 motorcycle near the intersection of Thrush Avenue and 325th Street. The motorycle did not stop and a pursuit started. The pursuit lasted for several miles on rural county roadways and reached speeds of 125 MPH. The driver, 31-year-old Robert Lee Hartkopp of Mason City, was taken into custody near the Intersection of Highway 3 and Keystone Avenue in Butler County. Hartkopp had a warrant for his arrest out of Cerro Gordo County and was charged with Eluding Law Enforcement Vehicle (aggravated misdemeanor), possession of a controlled substance (serious misdemeanor), driving while license suspended, failure to prove security against financial liability (no insurance), improper rear lamp, operation without registartion, failure to obey stop sign, all simple misdemeanors.
Hartkopp is being held in the Cerro Gordo County Jail.
The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Department was assisted in this case by the Iowa State Patrol, Butler County Sheriffs Office, and the Franklin County Sheriffs Office.