A police car that was stolen from a southwest Iowa town has been returned with significant damage, while the suspect now jailed. The incident started early Tuesday when a police officer from Missouri Valley pulled over a suspected drunk driver.
The officer spotted firearms in the car and called for backup, then put the suspect in the front passenger seat of the patrol car. While the officer was talking to a sheriff’s deputy, the suspect identified as 23-year-old Richard Garule of Missouri Valley, allegedly slid over, locked the doors and took off in the cruiser. He eluded the pursing deputy.
The wrecked police car was found in the town of Modale where an SUV was stolen. That SUV was found a few hours later in Blair, Nebraska, with Garule napping inside. If convicted on a host of charges, he could get ten years in prison.