Waterloo man allegedly exceeds 100 mph during police chase while drunk

A man allegedly led police on a high-speed chase on Thursday night after failing to pull over during a traffic stop, according to officials.

Jeremy Towsley, 38, was arrested and charged with eluding while operating while intoxicated, a class D felony, and second offense operating while intoxicated, an aggravated misdemeanor.

At around 9:41 p.m. on Thursday, December 12, 2019, Waterloo Police officers attempted to pull over a vehicle in the area near E 4th Street and Dane Street that they said was driving 70 mph in a 30 mph zone. The vehicle was allegedly being driven by Towsley and failed to pull over in response to the police cruiser's lights or sirens and engaged in a chase.

Police said that Towsley was driving more than 25 mph over the speed limit during the chase, including a maximum of around 110 mph. The car allegedly lost control at one point, hitting a median on Dubuque Road.

The vehicle fully lost control while turning from Dubuque Road onto Gilbertville Road, colliding with a traffic light control box. According to police, Towsley then ran from the crash, though stopped and allowed officers to arrest him after they displayed a Tazer device.

A criminal complaint filed in Black Hawk County District Court said that Towsley later admitted to being intoxicated and could not maintain his balance while fleeing the crash. Police said he had a blood alcohol concentration of .185 based on a breath test.

Towsley is being held at the Black Hawk County Jail.