A Fort Dodge man has been charged after leading authorities on a three-county chase last Thursday, June 15. Sac County Sheriff, Ken McClure, says 31-year-old Bendjy Joseph was the suspected driver of a motorcycle that one of his deputies attempted to stop at about 2:13 a.m. Thursday morning. The deputy saw the vehicle swerving in and out of the northbound lane south of Sac City on County Road M54 and ran the license plate, finding Joseph did not have a valid motorcycle license. The deputy followed him into Sac City, where he initiated the traffic stop. Joseph pulled over, but as the deputy approached he took off, reaching speeds of 60 miles per hour within the city limits. He continued east to Highway 71, taking that north to Highway 20 and then turned back east on 20 heading to Fort Dodge. Speeds on Highway 20 did not exceed 75 miles per hour, but the chase ended when Joseph struck a concrete median on Highway 169 in Fort Dodge and fled the scene on foot. Officers from several agencies, including a Sac County Sheriff’s K-9 unit, searched the area, but did not find Joseph. Contact was made with him at his place of employment in Lake View Tuesday night, and he admitted he was driving. He said he did not want to stop because he was scared. Joseph has been charged with eluding, an aggravated misdemeanor, and driving while suspended. He was booked into the Sac County jail and then released after posting a $2,300 bond. The Sac City and Fort Dodge Police Departments, Webster County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa State Patrol also assisted in the pursuit.
