Special to the Times Vedette
On Feb. 8 at approximately 12: 12 a.m., a Guthrie County deputy sheriff was traveling westbound on Highway 44 between Guthrie Center and Panora and observed a red Ford Bronco traveling at a high rate of speed. When the deputy activated his emergency lights and sirens, the vehicle fled, continuing westbound.
The pursuit reached speeds of up to 113 mph and continued on Highway 44 into Audubon County, where an Audubon County Deputy successfully deployed spike strips and helped terminate the pursuit near Hamlin.
The driver of the vehicle, Lee Pickrel, 42, of Urbandale, was taken into custody without incident. Lee was transported from the scene by Audubon County EMS for medical clearance before being transported to the Guthrie County Jail.
Lee was charged with eluding, possession of methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, drug paraphernalia and various traffic citations. An operating while intoxicated (OWI) criminal charge is currently pending lab results.
All subjects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.