Fleeing suspects elude officers

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Sheriff Darren White

CLARINDA, Iowa — Officers from Nodaway County and southwest Iowa were searching Thursday for at least two, and as many as three, unidentified suspects who fled law enforcement during a high-speed chase Wednesday night.

Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White said the chase began about 9:30 p.m. in Clearmont.

White said the suspects, at least one man and one woman driving an older-model Lincoln, had been under observation by Maryville Public Safety officers earlier in the evening, but were able to elude police in their vehicle, which was later spotted in Clearmont by a Nodaway County deputy.

When the deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, the suspects fled north on Highway 71 toward Clarinda, Iowa. Speeds during the pursuit reportedly reached 130 mph.

White said Page County, Iowa, authorities deployed tire spikes, but that the suspects abandoned their vehicle and fled on foot before reaching the spike strip.

A dog was summoned in an attempt to track the suspects, but White said they remained at large.

White said authorities have a good idea of the suspects’ identities and believe them to live in Nodaway County, though they may have ties to the Clarinda area.

He speculated the suspects are probably trying to return to Missouri, and added that he does not believe the persons being sought “pose any threat to the community at large.”

Agencies involved in the chase and subsequent investigation include the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office, the Page County Sheriff’s Office, the Clarinda Police Department, the Cass County, Iowa, K9 unit, and the Iowa State Patrol.