STUART — An Iowa driver with a prior meth conviction and recent jail history involving felony theft, criminal mischief and parole-violation allegations was arrested Friday evening after police say he led officers on a felony eluding pursuit that topped 90 miles per hour, endangered road workers and motorists, and sent his damaged vehicle into a ditch before the chase ended at a rural residence.
Jeremiah R. Janes, of rural Stuart, was arrested June 12, 2026, after the pursuit, according to the Stuart Police Department.
Police said the incident began at approximately 6:30 p.m. when a Stuart officer spotted a vehicle with significant damage and equipment violations traveling near South Division Street and SE 13th Street.
As the officer attempted to make a traffic stop, police said the driver accelerated away at a high rate of speed.
The vehicle continued east and then south into rural Adair County. During the pursuit, police say the driver refused to yield to emergency lights and sirens, drove faster than 90 miles per hour, and endangered other motorists, road workers, passengers inside the vehicle and the public.
At the intersection of 110th Street and Walnut Avenue, the driver lost control and entered a ditch, causing significant damage to the front driver’s side of the vehicle. Police said the vehicle narrowly missed hitting a telephone pole before the driver regained control and continued fleeing.
The pursuit ended at a residence in the 1300 block of Stuart Road, where Janes was taken into custody without further incident.
Despite what police described as the reckless nature of the pursuit and the substantial damage to the suspect vehicle, no other vehicles were damaged and no injuries were reported.
Janes was charged with felony eluding, reckless driving and multiple traffic violations.
The case is not Janes’ first trip through Iowa’s courts.
In a 2023 decision, the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed Janes’ conviction for possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver. The case stemmed from a police encounter in a hotel parking lot, where officers arrested Janes and found methamphetamine in his pocket.
Janes appealed, arguing that an officer’s detection of marijuana odor in the hotel parking lot did not provide reasonable suspicion to seize him. The appeals court rejected the challenge and affirmed the conviction.
In that case, the State agreed to dismiss a tax stamp violation and reduce the possession charge to five grams or less, a Class C felony. Janes waived a jury and agreed to a bench trial on the minutes of evidence. The court found him guilty as charged.
Read the Iowa Court of Appeals decision in State of Iowa v. Jeremiah Ray Janes here.
Polk County jail records also show Janes was booked December 22, 2025, in cases tied to Guthrie County and Polk County case AMCR398347.
The Polk County inmate record listed charges of second-degree criminal mischief for damage between $1,500 and $10,000, second-degree theft, and violation of parole. The listed bail amounts were cleared. The Polk County record is an arrest and jail record and does not provide final case disposition.
The Stuart Police Department was assisted in Friday’s pursuit by the Adair County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol.
The filing of criminal charges is based on probable cause and is not a determination of guilt. Janes is presumed innocent on the new charges and any pending matters unless and until proven guilty in court.
(TOP PHOTO of suspect vehicle via police.)
