EMMET COUNTY – Police have caught an Iowa man in Emmet county who fled a U-Haul truck during an attempted traffic stop.
According to Emmet County Sheriff Mike Martens, on Thursday, September 10, a sheriff’s deputy in the 2400 block of Highway Four observed southbound U-Haul with a car dolly attached that matched the description of a vehicle possibly involved in a hit and run traffic accident in Estherville minutes earlier. Upon initiating a traffic stop on the vehicle, the vehicle turned onto 250th Street where the driver jumped from the moving vehicle into the west roadside ditch and fled on foot into a wooded area and adjacent corn field. An extensive search of the area was conducted for several hours utilizing drone aircraft, tracking dogs and MART (Multi Agency Response Team) but the suspect was not located. Further investigation determined that the U-haul had been reported stolen on September 8th in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The Multi-Agency Response Team consists of the Emmet County, Palo Alto and Kossuth County Sheriff’s Offices, Algona, Emmetsburg and West bend Police Departments and Emmet County Conservation. Also assisting at the scene was the Estherville, Spencer, and Britt Police Departments, Clay and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Offices, Dickinson and Emmet County Emergency Management Directors, the Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Investigation into the matter is continuing.
On Saturday morning, September 12, The Emmet county sheriff’s office reported that the suspect wanted in connection to this incident is in custody this morning. According to Emmet County Sheriff Mike Martens, the sheriff’s office received a call at 8:39 am Saturday morning from a citizen reporting that they had observed a person walking westbound in the 3900 block of 250th Street. A sheriff’s deputy arrived on scene within two minutes of that report, and encountered a man matching the description of the person wanted in regard to yesterday’s traffic stop and search effort. The man was subsequently taken into custody by the deputy. Additional personnel from the sheriff’s office and Emmet County Conservation arrived and secured the scene.
Investigation at the scene yielded additional items of evidence that were recovered by the sheriff’s office, leading to the discovery of additional crimes.
As a result, Joseph Haak age (45) of Johnston, Iowa was transported to the Emmet County Jail where he was booked on charges of Burglary 3rd Degree in regard to a burglary committed in Emmet County, Possession of Stolen Property 1st degree in regard to a stolen U-Haul from Sioux Falls, South Dakota that he had been driving, Theft 3rd Degree, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Reckless Driving, and Interference with Official Acts.
