Wellman motorcyclist, fleeing deputies, dies in crash

A Wellman man died Wednesday night after fleeing an attempted traffic stop by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and crashing his motorcycle, authorities said.

Joseph Halstead, 33, was driving a Yamaha motorcycle on westbound Interstate 80 when deputies attempted to pull him over for traffic violations. He refused to stop and drove erratically through Tiffin, heading westbound on Highway 6 at over 100 mph, according to a sheriff’s news release.

Halstead then turned south on Highway 109, traveling into Oxford. He lost control and crashed near South August Avenue and 295 Street NW.

Lifesaving measures were performed, but he was declared dead at the scene, authorities said. The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Iowa State Patrol.

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