Coon Rapids Police Chief, Andy Klein, says a 14-year-old female was involved in the theft of one of their police vehicles Sunday that resulted in a multi-county high-speed chase. Klein says Officer Paul Whitenack was assisting a juvenile female who had walked a way from a relative’s home. The officer was driving the suspect back to the residence and had gone to the door to talk with the relatives when the girl took off in the cruiser. The Iowa State Patrol, Greene and Guthrie County Sheriff’s Offices and the Perry Police Department were involved in the chase that ended when stop sticks were deployed and the vehicle went off the road and into the ditch near Perry. No injuries have been reported but Klein says it is estimated the 14-year-old female reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour during the pursuit. Klein says there is a few thousand-dollars-worth of damage to their vehicle, but no official estimate has yet come in. At this time, the juvenile has been charged with first-degree theft. Other charges are pending referencing the pursuit. Klein adds there was really no clear reason as to why the female took the vehicle and fled as she was not in any trouble with law enforcement at that time.
