The West Des Moines man who led law enforcement on a high-speed chase from Bouton to Perry Monday brandished a running chain saw at the officers before being disabled with a taser and taken into custody.
Raymond Leo Steadman, 51, of 2500 Vine St., West Des Moines, was charged with eluding, second-degree criminal mischief, possession of drug paraphernalia, failure to stop in assured clear distance, careless driving, reckless driving, failure to signal or rapid deceleration, driving without registration, driving while suspended, improper use of lanes, failure to obey stop and yield right of way, littering, unsafe passing and violation of financial liability coverage.
The incident began shortly before 5 p.m. in the 200 block of W. Third Street in Bouton, where a Dallas County Deputy Sheriff identified Steadman as the driver of a 1996 GMC Sierra pickup truck and confirmed that Steadman had an active arrest warrant out of Polk County for a parole violation.
The deputy “ordered Steadman out of the truck,” but Steadman did not comply but instead “started the truck and fled from the scene,” according to court records.
“A chase ensued around Bouton,” according to Dallas County Chief Deputy Adam Infante. Steadman “tore up quite a few properties in Bouton,” he said, “slamming on his brakes, trying to get the deputy to run into the back of his truck, spraying gravel, very erratic driving.”
The deputy made several pursuit intervention technique (PIT) attempts before Steadman took to the gravel and fled to Perry at speeds at times exceeding 90 mph.
“We attempted to PIT him a few times in Bouton because the speeds were low,” Infante said. “Once he got on 130th, the speed was too great for a PIT maneuver.”
Patrol officers with the Perry Police Department joined the pursuit in Perry. Steadman’s vehicle eventually struck a city garbage can and came to rest near Eighth and Warford streets, Infante said.
“He jumped out of the truck he was driving with a chainsaw,” he said. “There was a brief standoff with him and the chainsaw, which was running. Perry was obviously on scene scene and assisted, and he was taken into custody after being tased.”
Open containers of alcohol and a glass pipe with residue were located inside of Steadman’s vehicle, according to court records.
Damage to the Dallas County Deputy’s patrol vehicle was estimated at $5,000.
Before he was booked into the Dallas County Jail, Steadman was transported to the Dallas County Hospital for treatment of a minor wound sustained in the incident and to test his blood as part of an ongoing investigation of OWI.
Steadman is held in the Dallas County Jail on a $10,000 cash-only bond. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing July 2 in Dallas County District Court.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
