Northwest Iowa (Northwest Iowa Now) — A Des Moines man in a stolen vehicle led law enforcement officials from Clay and Dickinson County on a chase exceeding 100 miles per hour Saturday morning. The chase ended with the subject being run off the road in what is called a “PIT maneuver” and into a wetlands that caught on fire and consumed both his vehicle and a Clay County Sheriff’s cruiser.
18 year old Donnie Bensley was spotted driving at a high rate of speed on Highway 18 South of Spencer at 6:18am. When a deputy began pursuit, the vehicle turned North on 240th Street, eventually reaching highway 71 North of Spencer where he proceeded North, shot West on highway 86, and crashed North of the highway 9 intersection. At one point Dickinson County deputies had deployed stop sticks on the road. During the pursuit Bensley was driving without headlights, often in the wrong lanes of traffic.
The SUV he was driving had been reported stolen from Polk County. Bensley was charged with possession of stolen property, eluding, reckless driving, and multiple traffic violations. The incident remains under investigation and other charges are possible…