A man whom authorities say stole a car from a Nebraska used car dealership is in custody after leading law enforcement officials on a chase Tuesday morning in Pottawattamie County. Sheriff Jeff Danker told KJAN News 52-year old Fred McCormick, of Crescent, was taken into custody about six and a-half hours after the pursuit began. McCormick was being held in the Pott. County Jail on charges of Theft in the 2^nd degree, eluding and Driving While Barred. His bond was set at $5,000.

Danker said the incident began at around 10-a.m., Tuesday, after the owners of a red Chevy Cavalier tracked the vehicle by using a GPS unit. He said deputies were dispatched to meet with an individual who had located the stolen car in the Crescent area. While the deputies were responding, Pott. County Conservation officers initiated a pursuit, which went north of Crescent, turned onto Leisure Avenue and drove off into a corn field.

The driver took off on foot. Several law enforcement agencies including at least seven k-9 units engaged in a search for the driver, but the hilly, wooded terrain in the area made the search difficult. Adding to the difficulty in finding the man, was an unharvested corn crop, cloud cover and a light mist.

The manhunt was called-off at around 2:30-p.m., after search teams lost the trail in a corn field. Danker says the suspect was observed at around 4:30-p.m. walking along Old Lincoln Highway. He was then taken into custody and charged.

Strong storms producing powerful lightning wreaked havoc with vehicles and buildings in Cass County this morning. The Cass County Communications Center reports a woman in a car believed her vehicle was struck by lightning near 650th and Whitepole Road (Highway 6 & 71), at around 10:22-a.m.  The only apparent damage, according to officials, was a melted antennae. No injuries were reported.

A couple of minutes earlier, the Iowa State Patrol Communications Center north of Lewis reported a burning smell in their facility. The staff thought their building was hit by lightning, but nothing was found to be wrong. Lewis Fire was called to investigate.

Rescue crews and law enforcement personnel were dispatched to a reported shooting incident in Marne just before 10-a..m. today (Wednesday). According to scanner traffic, the incident involved a 43-year old male who shot himself. The incident took place in a camper located behind a house off Brighton Street, near an alley. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says the Coroner was called to the scene.

No other information has been released.