Davenport man led high-speed pursuit in stolen car, police allege
A 25-year-old Davenport man was in custody Sunday after police allege a driver in a stolen car led a high-speed chase, according to court records.
Drake Howard faces felony charges of first-degree theft, controlled-substance violation, eluding – injury, OWI, drugs or participate in a felony, and second-degree criminal mischief, court records show.
The incident in 2021
About 4 a.m. Sept. 19, 2021, an Iowa State Trooper saw a Hyundai Elantra headed south on Eastern Avenue from Kimberly Road, racing a white Pontiac sedan, police allege in affidavits.
Police allege the Elantra was traveling in excess of 60 mph before crossing over a no-passing road marker and entering oncoming traffic lanes.
In affidavits, the trooper says, after the emergency lights and sirens on the cruiser were activated, the Elantra began to elude the trooper, circling back to Kimberly Road before going southbound on Jersey Ridge Road reaching speeds in excess of 87 mph.
The vehicle continued south until Jersey Ridge ended at 11th Street, then “rammed through road closure barricades and began eastbound toward Bettendorf,” according to affidavits. “It continued east through Bettendorf, reaching speeds in excess of 90 mph on River Drive in a posted 40 mph zone.”
The car then headed east until the intersection of Devils Glen, where it tried to turn northbound and struck the concrete curb near the light, damaging both passenger-side tires. It then turned down the dead-end street of Vogel Court, “which is where the driver and three occupants
all tried to flee on foot,” police allege in affidavits.
Bettendorf Police deployed a Taser on the rear-seat passenger, who was armed with a loaded semi-automatic pistol that he threw while police used a Taser on him, police allege in affidavits.
The driver, police allege in affidavits, “scaled a fence and ran into the timber area to the east.” Howard was identified by his Iowa driver’s license, which he left in the driver’s seat along with his iPhone. The front-seat passenger also confirmed that Howard was driving the car during the pursuit, according to affidavits.
Inside the front driver’s area was a large jar of marijuana and a scale used for measuring marijuana for sale, along with several open containers of alcoholic beverages, affidavits show.
The car was reported stolen the morning after the pursuit, according to affidavits. The trooper spoke with the registered owner, who did not give consent for anyone other than herself to be using/driving her vehicle and believes she may have dropped the keys near the vehicle the night before while taking her children out of the car, affidavits say.
“There was significant damage to the front of the vehicle in excess of $2,000, which was done by Howard while he was driving the vehicle after it had been stolen,” police allege in affidavits.
Howard, who was arrested on a warrant, is being held on a $26,250 bond in Scott County Jail. He is set for a preliminary hearing Feb. 27 in Scott County Court.
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