The Iowa State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies are maintaining a perimeter in the Redfield area Sunday morning in an effort to apprehend a suspect who fled on foot after a high-speed chase that started Saturday night in Nebraska.
The suspect is described as a black male, wearing a white shirt and sweatpants. Iowa State Patrol (ISP) Trooper John Salesberry said the suspect is considered dangerous.
“We’re considering him dangerous,” Salesberry told ThePerryNews.com about 3 a.m. Sunday. “We don’t know that he’s armed, but obviously we’re not going to take any chances either.”
Salesberry said the pursuit began on eastbound U.S. Interstate 80 in Nebraska, where the late-model Chevrolet Camaro was traveling in a convoy with two other vehicles.
“As soon as they entered Omaha, they called off the pursuit,” Salesberry said. “Omaha’s police chopper tried to follow it for a while, but the speeds were 150-plus, and helicopters just aren’t that fast, so they eventually fell behind.”
The Iowa State Patrol then located the Camaro traveling through Pottawattamie County, and a pursuit was resumed. According to law enforcement radio traffic, the suspects refueled their vehicle near the 92 mile marker of U.S. Interstate 80 at Stuart when the pursuit was paused due to an ISP vehicle’s overheating.
Salesberry said the Camaro continued eastbound and soon afterward sustained two flat tires after hitting spike strips near the 99 mile marker of U.S. Interstate 80. The vehicle then exited the interstate and traveled north into Redfield.
Law enforcement “basically surrounded the car,” he said. “However, he had gotten out and run on foot.” A female passenger in the vehicle was taken into custody, and drugs and drug paraphernalia were found in the car, he said.
A Des Moines Police Department K9 unit was reportedly brought to the scene to seek the fugitive.
“We still have a perimeter set up around Redfield,” Salesberry said. “He’s still out on foot somewhere in the Redfield area. He’s obviously not from this area, so we’re just kind of watching to see if anybody comes into Redfield with out-of-state plates to pick him up.”
The female suspect, Brandy R. Pace, 23, of Chicago, was charged with first-offense possession of a controlled substance-marijuana and is held in the Pottawattamie County Jail on a $1,000 bond.
ThePerryNews.com will update this story as information becomes available.
*A criminal charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
