KOSSUTH COUNTY – A Northern Iowa man was arrested after a police pursue and put his vehicle in a ditch.
On December 14th at about 8:50 PM, a Kossuth County deputy sheriff observed a vehicle in the area of 350th Street and 80th Avenue that was swerving from centerline to the shoulder. The vehicle then turned onto a gravel road and was traveling over the 50mph speed limit. A traffic stop was initiated, and the driver came to a stop, but then fled in the vehicle before the deputy could approach. The deputy pursued with lights and siren and called for backup. The pursuit went for several miles with the suspect driver failing to obey traffic control devices and driving recklessly. With speeds approaching nearly 100mph and approaching the city limits of Swea City, the decision was made to initiate a pit maneuver to protect persons and property within a populated area.
The suspect vehicle was guided into the ditch on the south edge of Swea City on County Road P-30 by the use of a successful pit maneuver. There was damage to both the suspect vehicle and the patrol vehicle. There were no injuries.
The driver of the suspect vehicle was identified as Matthew Prentice, age 49, of Swea City. Prentice complained of possible anxiety attacks so the Swea City ambulance was paged to transport him to the Kossuth Regional Health Center. After being treated and released, Prentice was arrested for: Reckless Driving, Eluding, Speeding 6-10 over, Speeding 20 over, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability/Accident, and Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device.
As a result of the investigation deputies also applied for a search warrant and invoked the Implied Consent and requested a blood or urine specimen to determine any drug or alcohol impairment. Further charges are pending the results of the collected specimen.
The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol.
