A Winnebago man faces more than 60 charges in Dakota County and several more in Iowa after a high-speed pursuit traveled through South Sioux City and ended just past the Veterans Memorial Bridge in Sioux City Sunday afternoon.
Benjamin Horn, 35, was arrested in Sioux City after a chase that started in rural Dakota County at about 1:45 p.m. Sunday, crossed the Veterans Memorial Bridge and ended in a multiple-vehicle collision on Wesley Park Way.
According to the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy observed a white Honda Accord traveling at a high rate of speed and failing to use its turn signal in the area of the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 110 in rural Dakota County. The deputy had received notice of the vehicle from a local FLOCK camera in connection with a prior encounter of eluding with a separate agency and attempted to stop the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to stop and the pursuit ended.
The vehicle traveled into South Sioux City and was met by South Sioux City Police, where spike strips were deployed at the entrance to the bridge. Horn stopped short of the spike strips, backed up and struck the Dakota County deputy’s vehicle before pulling forward and swerving toward a South Sioux City Police officer, who fired multiple shots in defense.
As he was swerving at the police officer, Horn’s vehicle contacted the spike strips and he continued north over the bridge, crossing multiple lanes of traffic and colliding with three other vehicles while trying to wedge through traffic at a stop light on Wesley Park Way, where the pursuit ended and he was taken into custody by authorities.
The vehicle Horn was driving was later found to be reported stolen out of Winnebago on Friday, June 6. Horn has a suspended driver’s license in Nebraska.
Horn is being charged with 66 counts of traffic violations, along with felony flight to avoid arrest, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, willful reckless driving and driving under suspension. He is already facing a felony eluding charge in Woodbury County District court, along with other traffic offenses. He is being held in Woodbury County Jail.
