Dozens of law enforcement officials emerged upon Eagle Grove last Wednesday afternoon, July 21shortly after 4 p.m. First signs of the incident came when an Eagle Grove police vehicle raced down West Broadway at a very high rate of speed with lights flashing and sirens blaring. He was soon followed by two State Troopers in the same manner. They came to a stop just west of Eagle Grove where they joined other officers and deputies from the Webster County Sheriff's Department, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, the Wright County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The vehicles lined the road from the corner of 270th Street and Calhoun Avenue (Rose hill Cemetery) all around up to and through the Eagle Grove Golf Course. Some officers blocked roads, others directed traffic, and others stood guard, keeping their eyes focused on the cornfields around them. A plane in the sky also circled as they look for the suspect(s) of a Chevrolet Malibu.
According to Sgt. Tony Walters of the Webster County Sheriff's Office, the incident began at approximately 3:45 p.m. that day, as a Webster County Deputy attempted to stop a vehicle on the east side of Fort Dodge for traffic offenses. The vehicle fled at a high rate of speed, heading east to Hamilton County. The vehicle then headed north, and then back west again into Webster County before heading northeast into Wright County. The vehicle ended up on the west edge of Eagle Grove. Officials were able to stop the vehicle in that area using stop sticks, but officers did lose sight of the vehicle for a brief time until locating it again at 270th and Calhoun where they found the vehicle empty. They believe the suspect(s) ran into one of the cornfields.
According to Walters, the suspect(s) was not located before the search was called off. The suspect(s) was not believed to be dangerous.
Anyone with information is asked to please call the Webster County Law Enforcement Center at 515-573-2323.
