George, Iowa — A Worthington man who is accused of eluding police in a stolen car — and his passenger — were both taken to a Sioux Falls hospital on Saturday night, December 10th, after he crashed the car near George. And he faces several charges related to the incident.
According to Captain Kevin Flynn of the Worthington, Minnesota Police Department, someone came to the Prairie Justice Center in Worthington and while the person was in the building, his car, which was unlocked and had the engine running, was stolen from the parking lot. The Prairie Justice Center is the location of the Nobles County Sheriff’s Office, the jail, and other government offices. Flynn says officers located the vehicle in Worthington and after they attempted to stop it, the driver fled, starting a chase which went west on I-90 and then south into Lyon County.
The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office reports that the pursuit entered Lyon County from Nobles County, Minnesota about 7:30 p.m. Two Worthington police cars were involved in a minor accident at the intersection of Highway 9 and Jefferson Avenue. Jefferson Avenue is the road that used to be Iowa Highway 91, going north to Ellsworth, Minnesota.
They tell us the pursuit continued southbound on Jefferson Avenue and then westbound on 220th Street, which is the gravel road a mile south of George. Jefferson curves into 220th southwest of George.
The sheriff’s office says the pursued vehicle left the road and rolled on 220th Street about a half mile east of Ironwood Avenue, about 7:40 PM. They report that the driver of the vehicle was ejected. The female passenger in the vehicle was extricated by the George Rescue and Fire Department. Both individuals were taken to the Sanford Rock Rapids Hospital. The accident report from the Iowa State Patrol indicates the victims were further transported to Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls. The stolen car, a 2007 Honda, according to the Iowa State Patrol, sustained about $6500 in damages, which was enough to total the car.
The driver was identified as 20-year-old Marlon Cardona of Worthington. He was charged in Iowa with Possession of a stolen vehicle, a class D felony, and Eluding with Bodily Injury, a class D felony. The accident report from the Iowa State Patrol says he was also charged with Speeding (120mph in a 55 zone), Failure to Obey Stop Sign, Failure to have a Driver’s License, Reckless Driving, and Failure to Maintain Control. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office says charges from Minnesota are expected in the near future.
At last report, Cardona was being held in the Lyon County Jail, awaiting extradition to Minnesota.
Officers involved in the incident were from the Worthington Police Department, Nobles County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Highway Patrol and the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department. The Iowa State Patrol conducted the accident investigations. The George Fire and Rescue Units responded as did the Lyon County Ambulance Service.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, the other accident, involving the Worthington police cars happened when two Worthington police vehicles were pursuing the stolen vehicle southbound on Lyon County road L14. A private vehicle had stopped at the stop sign with Highway 9 waiting to proceed. One Worthington police vehicle had gone around the private vehicle and was stopped to the left of the private car, facing southbound, and was also waiting to proceed across Highway 9 to continue on Jefferson Avenue. The Iowa State Patrol says the second police car to arrive on the scene was traveling too fast for the surface conditions and tried to stop and couldn’t so he tried to go between the other two vehicles. However, the officer didn’t clear them cleanly and sideswiped both of them coming to a stop. The police cruisers sustained $6000 damage and $4000 damage. The private vehicle sustained $2000 in damage. No injuries were reported.
