A Perry man was arrested Thursday evening after a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff clocked his motorcycle doing 96 mph on Iowa Highway 141 near Perry.
Lenwood Hayden Messner Jr., 51, of Perry was charged with eluding, failure to have a valid license/permit while operating motor vehicle, reckless driving, no insurance, unsafe passing, failure to respond to steady red signal, interference with official acts, failure to obey stop sign and yield right of way and speeding.
The incident began about 6:30 p.m. on westbound Iowa Highway 141 east of Perry. When the deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Messner sped away on his two-wheeler, but not before the deputy observed the license plate number on the vehicle.
Witnesses reported seeing Messner traveling west on Iowa Street at high speed and later traveling north on First Avenue. A records check led the deputy to Messner’s W. Second Street residence in Perry, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Messner is held in the Dallas County Jail $5,815.63 cash or surety bond while awaiting an initial appearance in Dallas County District Court.
Messner was convicted of first-offense OWI in 2009 in the District Court of Clear Creek County, Colorado. He was convicted of no valid license and no insurance in 2015 in Polk County District Court. He was convicted of second-offense OWI and driving while denied or revoked in 2016 in Dallas County District Court. A charge of driving while suspended was dismissed in 2016 in Dallas County District Court, and charges of open container, no valid license, no insurance and speeding were dismissed in 2017 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
