One of two high speed pursuits that took place Sunday evening and night began in Cass County. The first began just after 7-p.m., when Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy Josh McLaren tried to stop a vehicle whose driver was wanted on Polk County warrant. The chase started on North Olive Street near the KJAN studios when McLaren initiated a traffic stop of a 2014 VW Passat.

Richard Randall Eatwell (Polk County Sheriff’s office photo) – 2013

The driver, 39-year old Richard Randall Eatwell, was wanted on a Polk County warrant for Parole Violation. The chase ended in a foot pursuit of the suspect, who was apprehended without further incident in the fenced-in back yard of a residence in Audubon, near the intersection of Poplar and Maple Streets, at around 7:26-p.m.

During the chase, the car traveled north on Olive Street towards Interstate 80, at speeds of up to 117-miles per hour. The VW then turned east onto Boston Road and reached speeds of 80-to 90 on the gravel, before it turned north on Highway 71.

The vehicle hit 118-miles per hour on the stretch between the Valley (Highway 71/Interstate 80), and Brayton. Along the way driver made several passes in a No Passing Zone and entered Brayton doing about 95 miles per hour.

Approaching Exira, speeds topped 120-miles per hour. The suspect’s vehicle turned east onto 250th Street near the Greenbriar Country Club in an effort to avoid stop-sticks, and then headed north on Lark Avenue until it came to the T-intersection with 220th, where it turned west while maintaining about 80-to 90 miles per hour. At 7:19-pm the car turned north onto Highway 71 heading into Audubon.

Assisting in the chase and arrest were deputies with the Audubon, Carroll and Shelby County Sheriff’s Offices, Audubon Police and the Iowa State Patrol. None of the officers or any civilians were injured during the chase and arrest.

Eatwell was previously arrested on March 27th, 2013 by Atlantic Police on a Feb. 2013 warrant out of Polk County, for a Parole Violation associated with Work Release. The second chase involved deputies with the Mills, Montgomery, Fremont, Cass, Adams and Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Departments, and Omaha Police Helicopter Able 1. Details are currently not available on that incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The chairman of Iowa’s Republican Party will step down later this month once a replacement can be chosen. The Iowa GOP said Saturday that A.J. Spiker had submitted his letter of resignation. The party will chose a new chairman on March 29.

Spiker plans to become a political adviser to U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s political action committee. Rand Paul is a potential 2016 presidential candidate, and Spiker had previously backed Paul’s father, former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. Spiker became chairman in 2012 after tea party conservatives and Paul supporters worked at the precinct level to take control of the state GOP leadership.

On Saturday most of the GOP state convention delegates chosen were moderate candidates who back Gov. Terry Branstad.

Authorities in Montgomery County say two men face separate charges following their arrests over the weekend. Early Sunday morning, police in Red Oak arrested 26-year old Myles Dustin Longcor, of Henderson, after officers responded to disturbance caused by an allegedly intoxicated man.

When police arrived at 404 1st Avenue in Red Oak at around 3:30-a.m., they found Longcor creating the disturbance inside the residence. After he was escorted outside Longcor began to ignore officers’ commands and allegedly became physically aggressive. One of the officers deployed a stun gun, which incapacitated Longcor, who was subsequently put in handcuffs. As police were bringing to a cruiser, Longcor allegedly resisted arrest again, and tried to pull away several times. His actions caused both the officers and Longcor to fall to the ground. During the scuffle, one of the officers suffered an ankle injury.

Longcor was then taken to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center and charged with interference with official acts, an aggravated misdemeanor. He was being held in jail on $2,000 cash bond.

The other incident happened at around 4:30-p.m., Saturday. Police in Red Oak arrested 23-year old Nicholas Philby, of Red Oak, on charges that include OWI 1st Offense,Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Drug Paraphernalia, and Failure to Obey a Stop Sign. Philby was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Authorities say Philby was taken into custody after officers pulled over the 1989 Ford Ranger pickup he was driving in the 1600 block of Miller Avenue. Philby was given a field sobriety test, which he failed. A search of his vehicle by the Red Oak K-9 Unit resulted in the discovery of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.