In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 12th, a call came in on the 911 line from an address in the 200 block of N. Iowa Ave. of Eagle Grove, and was hung up seconds after being answered. Attempts to call the number back went unanswered, which prompted an investigation by the Eagle Grove Police Department. The investigation resulted in a domestic assault case, and the male subject was not initially found at the scene.
At 9:25 am another call came in from the same address, the caller did not speak English, but clearly needed help as the dispatcher recorded "need police". Minutes later Sergeant Mark Hennigar of the Eagle Grove Police Department responded, and located the male subject.
According to Eagle Grove Chief of Police Ray Beltran, when Hennigar informed the subject – identified as Cory Bryan of Eagle Grove – that he was under arrest, Bryan pushed away, stated that he was not going to jail, and ran on foot to his white SUV before fleeing the scene. Sgt. Hennigar pursued.
According to Beltran, the subject "then ran from the police for over 60 miles at speeds well over 100 mph". The pursuit spanned three counties, starting in Wright County, in Eagle Grove, then passing through Hancock County and the city of Britt, before passing into Winnebago County.
Around 10:05 AM, the Forest City Police Department was informed of the pursuit, and that it seemed to be headed to Forest City. 13 minutes later a Forest City officer observed the White SUV driving at a high speed east on Hancock County Road b-15. Just two minutes later, a civilian reported the SUV headed north through the intersection of highways 9 and 69, still traveling at a high speed. And then another minute later, the vehicle pulled into a garage at 130 Woodland Drive in Forest City, the home of Mr. Bryan's mother.
According to Forest City Police Chief Tom Montgomery, Bryan was also pursued by officers from several departments along the way. "There was an Eagle Grove officer, and I think Hancock County," Montgomery told KIOW. Montgomery also told the Eagle by phone that a Britt officer also arrived on the scene in Forest City.
Montgomery confirmed the observation of other officers regarding Bryan's rate of speed. "I know they were traveling, probably, speeds exceeding 100 miles an hour," Montgomery told KIOW, "they had trouble keeping up with him."
According to a press release issued by the Forest City Police, a negotiator from the Iowa State Patrol was among the first officers on the scene, and "diligently tried to convince Bryan to come out of the house and surrender to authorities" to no avail.
Roughly an hour and a half later, officers obtained a search warrant, and the Special Operations Group (S.O.G.) of the North Central Iowa Narcotics Task Force was called in, along with a Winnebago County Sheriff's Department K9 unit, to make entry into the residence.
"People are afraid of tasers and dogs," Montgomery noted, explaining that suspects will often follow orders better when officers are accompanied by canine units, adding that they had no idea what they would find in the home, and a dog is generally a big help not just in the capture of subjects but also in any necessary search.
After the S.O.G. team made entry, Bryan was found under the steps, according to Beltran, and taken into custody "without incident", according to Montgomery.
Ultimately the Eagle Grove Police Department, the Britt Police Department, the Hancock County Sheriff's Department, the Iowa State Patrol, the Forest City Police Department, the North Iowa Narcotics Task Force S.O.G. team, the Winnebago County Sheriff's Department, the Iowa Department of Transportation, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the Forest City Ambulance Service all were involved at the scene.
Bryan has racked up a lengthy criminal and traffic violation history in the last few years, and this is not his first time eluding police. Court records show that Bryan was convicted of speeding (6 thru 10 over) in a 55 or under zone in April of 2021, Failure to give notice of an address or name change in August of 2021, of eluding in August of 2021, and of Operating an unregistered vehicle and Failure to prove financial liability twice in August and once in December of 2021. Bryan was also convicted of Obstruction of emergency communications in November of last year. And Bryan was charged with 4th degree theft in January of this year.
That record just got a lot longer.
So far, in Wright County alone, Bryan faces charges of Domestic abuse assault – 1st offense (a simple misdemeanor), Interference with official acts (a simple misdemeanor), Obstruction of Emergency Communications (a simple misdemeanor), two counts of Failure to obey a stop sign and yield the right of way (a scheduled traffic violation), two counts of Speeding in a 55 or under zone at 21 or more miles per hour over the speed limit (a scheduled traffic violation), Reckless driving (a non-scheduled traffic violation), and Eluding while speeding more than 25 miles per hour over the speed limit (an aggravated misdemeanor).
According to the press release from the Forest City Police Department, additional charges may be filed in Winnebago County, as well. It is also possible charges may be filed in Hancock County.
