Bedford, IOWA — Law enforcement in southern Iowa will continue searching in and around rural Taylor County through the daylight hours. Officers are looking for Rodney Eugene Long, a suspect in Sunday night’s shooting and pursuit. Once night falls, search efforts on the ground will halt. Night patrols in the area of 265th Avenue and Highland Ave will however be increased. Additional State Troopers and Deputies will regularly travel the area, looking for Long and remaining available to local residents.
Officials are urging citizens in and around Taylor County to be cautious and observant. Long is considered armed and dangerous. If you see Long, do not approach him yourself but rather, contact authorities immediately. Long is described as a white male, 38 years old with brown hair and brown eyes. He is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs 144 pounds. He has tattoos on his wrists.
Previous reports indicated that Long was wearing a green ball cap. However, this information has not been confirmed. Law enforcement does not at this time have a description of his clothing.
BACKGROUND:
Sunday evening, at approximately11:25 PM, Taylor County deputies were dispatched to a “suspicious person” walking along Highway 2 just east of New Market. Deputy Dan Wyckoff was the first to respond. As Deputy Wyckoff was exiting his vehicle to speak with the individual, he was met with gunfire and shot twice. As Deputy Wyckoff was taking cover, the suspect, now identified as Rodney Eugene Long, took the patrol vehicle and left the scene. A second Taylor County deputy arrived on scene, picked up Deputy Wyckoff and began to pursue the suspect in the stolen patrol car.
A pursuit ensued for approximately 40 minutes through rural Taylor County. Officers from several different jurisdictions, including Missouri, responded to the area. Gunfire was exchanged between Long and officers during the course of the pursuit. The pursuit ended when Long rolled the stolen patrol vehicle several times on a rural Taylor County road. He then exited the vehicle and escaped on foot. A manhunt, involving at least a dozen different law enforcement agencies from Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska, has been underway since moments after the crash.
Deputy Dan Wyckoff is 33 years old and a two year veteran of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office. Shortly after the pursuit began, Deputy Wyckoff was delivered to a local ambulance. He was transported to a local hospital and then flown via helicopter to an Omaha area hospital. Wyckoff remains hospitalized, but is in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
Long escaped from the minimum custody lodge in the early morning hours of Friday, August 16, 2013. Personal items left in the stolen patrol vehicle indicate that Long is the individual that officials are searching for.
