Cedar Rapids woman charged after early-morning pursuit

Jody L. Marko was charged charged with attempting to elude police after a chase early this morning in Cedar Rapids, police said.

A few minutes before 2 a.m., officers on patrol signaled Marko to pull over in the 1800 block of First Avenue East after noticing her sport-utility vehicle's brake lights weren't working, police Sgt. Cristy Hamblin said.

Marko complied, but when a license check revealed her license was suspended she drove off northbound. She turned west onto 29th Street NE, then sped to Wenig Road NE where she turned north, then back east onto Glass Road, then back north on Center Point Road, where officers called off the chase to avoid endangering the public.

Officers found Marko's SUV about 2:20 a.m. in the parking lot in the 2200 block of First Avenue E. As they were towing the vehicle, which had damage to its right front, they found Marko hiding in a nearby group of trees.

Marko, 40, of 1225 Ahearn Dr. NE, was taken to the Linn County Jail, where she remains in lieu of $5,000 cash bail. She made an initial court appearance Tuesday morning on charges of attempting to elude and driving on a suspended license.