KOSSUTH COUNTY – This Northern Iowa man illegally got behind the wheel on a recent icy morning and discovered cops weren’t tolerating lawlessness, and when a chase ensued, the suspect pulled out all the stops to maintain his freedom.
On January 30, 2026, at about 9:00 AM, the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Iowa State Patrol with a traffic stop near Lakota, Iowa. Officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by 41-year-old Jose Luis Renteria of Lakota. Renteria failed to stop for marked patrol vehicles that had lights and sirens activated, which led to a pursuit through Lakota and then north on Highway 169. He then attempted to elude law enforcement by entering an acreage driveway about one mile north of Lakota, and then drove into a field. Renteria then stopped and backed into a marked patrol car before becoming stuck.
Renteria (pictured at top) was arrested and charged by the Iowa State Patrol with:
• Eluding Law Enforcement, 2nd or subsequent offense Class C Felony
• Reckless Driving
• 2 Failure to Obey Stop Sign
• No Valid Drivers License
An accident report was filed by the Iowa State Patrol since Renteria backed into a Kossuth County Patrol Vehicle during the pursuit. Damage was estimated at $4,000 to the patrol car.
Renteria was booked into the Kossuth County Jail and will have an initial court appearance within 24 hours of his arrest.
The sheriff’s office explicitly stated, “this was not an I.C.E. operation.”