Eastern Iowa Chase Ends in Deadly Crash into Tree

Authorities have released the name of an eastern Iowa man who died following a chase with law enforcement officials.

The incident began at about 3:30pm Monday (April 11), when a Linn County Deputy attempted to pull over a car for a traffic violation, just south of Palo.

The driver refused to pull over, and led the officer on a pursuit.

During the chase, the occupants of the vehicle were seen throwing items out of the car, in rural Linn and Benton Counties.

The Iowa State Patrol and Benton County Sheriff joined in the chase. The pursuit ended about 15 minutes after it began, when the driver lost control of the car and struck a tree in Watkins.

The driver, identified as 32 year old David Janish of Cedar Rapids, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other occupants of the car, 36 year old Wesley Schmelzer Junior of Cedar Rapids and 21 year old Alisha Miller of Atkins, were taken to area hospitals for treatment; Miller was flown to University Hospitals in Iowa City, with potentially life-threatening injuries.

The incident remains under investigation.