Marshalltown Man Leads Deputies on High Speed Pursuit in Three Counties

March 3, 2024

On March 2nd at approximately 6:48PM 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. The deputy was not able to intitially get a RADAR reading on the vehicle but it was visually estimated to be near 100mph in the 35mph 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 102mph in the 25mph 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 the city of Beaman.  The vehicle fled back southbound out of Beaman and back into Marshall County.  The driver of the vehicle kept turning the vehicle headlights off in an attempt to avoid detection.  Speeds remained in excess of 100mph.

Around this time, an Iowa State Patrol aircraft got in the area and 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 100mph.  The pursuit exceeded 120mph as it proceeded eastbound from Gladbrook where the Tama County Sheriff's Office took 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, Anthony Harding, age 18 of Marshalltown, was arrested at the scene.  The two adult and one juvenile passengers were released from the scene after a brief investigation.  The juvenile was released after notification of a parent.  At the time of this 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.  

Harding was charged with:

Eluding 25+ over the speed limit -D Felony

Operating While Intoxicated -Serious Misdemeanor

Speed 102 in 25 mph zone -Simple Misdemeanor

Failure to obey traffic control device (x3) -Simple Misdemeanor

Driving Under Suspension -Simple Misdemeanor

He is being held in the Marshall County Jail on $5000 cash-only bond.  He will be returned to the custody of JCS and the State Training School upon his release from jail.  

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

For more information, please contact Sheriff Joel Phillips by calling 641-754-6380 or via email at sheriff@marshallcountyia.gov

The Marshall County, Iowa Sheriff's Office is led by Sheriff Joel Phillips and is committed to keeping communities and neighborhoods safe in Marshall County.

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