A Marshalltown man was arrested on a number of charges including eluding 25 plus over the speed limit, a Class D felony, after leading deputies on a high speed chase that started in Marshalltown and ended northeast of Gladbrook in Tama County last Saturday evening.

According to a press release from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, a Marshall County deputy observed a vehicle driving at “a very high rate of speed” in the 500 block of South 18th Avenue in Marshalltown at around 6:48 p.m. Though no radar reading was immediately taken, it was visually estimated to be near 100 miles per hour in the 35 mile per hour speed zone.

The deputy turned around and caught up to the vehicle as it neared the intersection of Marion Street where it ran the stop sign as it turned westbound. The deputy activated emergency lights, and the car pulled over and stopped — but then fled when the deputy started to approach the car on foot at the traffic stop.

The vehicle went westbound and reached a speed of 102 mph in the 25 mph speed zone before fleeing out of town northbound on Highway 14. The vehicle fled through the northeast part of Marshall County and into Grundy County near Beaman before fleeing southbound out of Beaman and back into Marshall County. The driver of the vehicle allegedly “kept turning the vehicle headlights off” in an attempt to avoid detection with speeds remaining in excess of 100 mph.

Around this time, an Iowa State Patrol aircraft moved into the area. The operator was able to observe the vehicle from above and call out locations and traffic conditions.

The vehicle fled eastbound out of Marshall County on Highway 96 and into Tama County and through the city of Gladbrook at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The pursuit exceeded 120 mph as it proceeded eastbound from Gladbrook, where the Tama County Sheriff’s Office took the lead in the pursuit.

The ISP aircraft remained overhead updating locations of the fleeing vehicle as the pursuit turned northbound on H Avenue. In the 1500 mile of H Avenue northeast of Gladbrook, the vehicle came to a stop after suffering mechanical issues related to the engine. The driver and three passengers were all detained at the scene.

The driver, 18-year-old Anthony Harding of Marshalltown, was arrested at the scene and charged with the following offenses: eluding 25 plus over the speed limit — a Class D felony, operating while intoxicated — a serious misdemeanor, speeding 102 mph in a 25 mph zone — a simple misdemeanor, three counts of failure to obey traffic control device — each a simple misdemeanor and driving under suspension — a simple misdemeanor. The two adults and one juvenile in the car with him were released after a brief investigation. The juvenile was released after notification of a parent.

At the time of the incident, Harding was on a temporary home visit from his placement in the Iowa State Training School in Eldora, where he was being held in custody of Juvenile Court Services on an unrelated case.

He is being held in the Marshall County Jail on a $5,000 cash-only bond. He will be returned to the custody of JCS and the State Training School upon his release from the jail.

The MCSO was assisted by Iowa State Patrol aviation, the Marshalltown Police Department, the Marshall County Communications Center, the Tama County Sheriff’s Office, the Tama Police Department, and the Toledo Police Department.