2 arrested for drunken driving after patrol car hit

Published 10:29 am Monday, August 25, 2008

A stop by a Mower County deputy yielded two drunken-driving arrests Friday after the his squad car was hit by an allegedly inebriated Iowa man while it sat stationary for a separate suspect arrested for driving drunk, according to Mower County Sheriff Terese Amazi.

Amazi said the 24-year-old man, of Riceville, Iowa, nicked the driver’s side door of the deputy’s squad car, and then gave chase until voluntarily pulling over about two miles into Iowa.

The collision happened on 770th Avenue near State Line Road by LeRoy, according to Amazi, who said the deputy pulled over the first man around 10:30 p.m. The deputy was seated in the front seat, and narrowly pulled his foot into the car before it was hit. The other suspect was seated in the back.

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Amazi said the deputy had his emergency lights and a stop light activated. He chased the second suspect south on Mower County Road 12 before taking the man into custody on Howard County 7 in Iowa.

No one was injured, and the vehicle did not sustain heavy damages, Amazi said.

Amazi said the second subject, who allegedly had a blood alcohol level of 0.30, remains in Iowa until his Mower County hearing. No charges have been filed to date.

According to court records, the 24-year-old has a driving under the influence conviction in Dodge County from 2005.