A northeast Iowa man wanted in connection with his wife’s murder was arrested in western South Dakota Sunday morning after an Amber Alert was issued for the couple’s child — and a Dakota lawman spotted the suspect’s fleeing truck.
Authorities say 36-year-old Judy Renee Petersen of Greene was murdered at about nine o’clock Saturday night in the family’s home. Her 39-year-old husband, Thomas, is the main suspect. An Amber Alert was issued shorty after midnight Sunday morning for the couple’s two-year-old boy, Joshua.
At about seven o’clock Sunday morning a South Dakota sheriff spotted the fleeing suspect in a red truck and gave chase. The Sioux Falls Argus-Leader reports the sheriff was injured when the fleeing suspect rammed the squad car, causing it to roll. Another South Dakota sheriff caught up with the chase and Petersen swerved into that squad car, causing both his truck and the car to roll into a ditch.
Iowa authorities report the toddler was found safe and unharmed.