Vehicles escape police after hitting 107 mph before chase

Two stolen vehicles were clocked at 107 mph Monday near Center Point, and both drivers eventually eluded authorities.

A Linn County sheriff's deputy was using a radar gun to watch traffic on Central City Road at Alice Road around 7:45 p.m. when a westbound car and a pickup went zooming past him. The deputy gave chase, and the car began to pull over, but the pickup continued.

Col. John Stuelke said the deputy decided to go after the pickup, because it wasn't stopping, but the four-wheel drive pickup drove off the highway and through a field a couple miles later, near Schultz Road. The deputy had no choice but to watch the pickup from the roadway.

“We have two-wheel drive cars, and it was a freshly plowed field,” Stuelke said.

A homeowner on Virg Court, on the south edge of Center Point, reported that the pickup went through hisyard. Stuelke said the deputy tried to follow tracks from there, but was unable to locate the pickup. The car and driver that originally had pulled over back on the highway didn't stick around.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to find them,” Stuelke said. “We set up a perimeter, but it took a while for our deputies to get up there.”

Stuelke said both vehicles were reported stolen from Jones County early Monday morning. He said the deputy got the license plate numbers, and deputies on patrol today will be on the lookout. He declined to release the plate numbers or a vehicle description.

No one was hurt in the incident. An investigation is continuing.