2 Cedar Rapids residents killed in Walford accident following police chase

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office has released the identity of the man and woman who died Wednesday after a collision with an oncoming dump truck.

In a release, the sheriff’s office says the driver in the vehicle was Leo Alan Ray, 35, of Cedar Rapids, and his passenger was Stacey Lynn Watts, 35, also of Cedar Rapids.

Ray and Watts were killed Wednesday after crashing into an oncoming dump truck after fleeing from a Linn County deputy on Highway 151 north of Walford.

The Linn County Sheriff’s Office said on Wednesday in a news release it received a domestic disturbance report just after noon involving a blue Nissan Altima with a male driver, later identified as Ray, and a female passenger, later identified as Watts, who was reportedly trying to jump out of the car.

A deputy located the car driving south on 80th Street at about 12:23 p.m. and saw a woman passenger was in the car.

The deputy activated the squad car’s emergency lights and attempted to stop the vehicle.

When Ray failed to stop, the deputy determined the driver was driving too recklessly and stopped the pursuit near the Highway 151 intersection with Wright Brothers Boulevard, the news release stated.

About a minute later, the deputy noticed flying debris from what appeared to be a collision, the sheriff’s office told The Gazette.

The crash happened when Ray lost control and the car moved into the oncoming lane, crashing almost head-on with a Kenworth dump truck near 300 Highway 151 on the outskirts of Walford.

Both the Ray and Watts were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene. The dump truck driver was not injured.

The Iowa State Patrol is investigating the crash.

A portion of Highway 151 was closed after the crash but reopened just after 4 p.m., the sheriff’s office tweeted.