A Marshalltown man is accused of instigating a car chase that ended in him rolling his car with a 8-year-old boy in the back seat.
Brett Ladehoff, 26, is charged with four counts of aggravated assault, child endangerment, reckless driving, operating while under the influence and prohibited passing.
Chief Deputy Burt Tecklenburg of the Marshalltown Sheriff's Office said Ladehoff allegedly pursued a group of four teenagers following a dispute on the road in Marshalltown on Nov. 27, 2011.
A friend of Ladehoff, who was babysitting the 8-year-old, got out of the car to confront the teens in the car ahead of them when Ladehoff sped after them, leaving the child's designated caretaker behind, Tecklenburg said.
During the pursuit, Ladehoff is accused of having bumped the car the teens were driving at a speed above 50 mph.
Roughly a mile and a half outside town on Summit Road, Ladehoff lost control of the car while heading into a sharp curve and rolled the car, Tecklenburg said.
Ladehoff's 8-year-old passenger suffered only minor bumps and bruises, and walked nearly 3/4 of a mile to phone police at a private residence, he said.
Ladehoff's injuries caused the delay in his initial appearance, Tecklenburg said. His blood-alcohol level was .203 at the time of the crash, according to police reports.
Tecklenburg said that the investigation concluded that the teens did nothing to instigate the situation or prompt the chase.
Initial reports obtained by the Times-Republican, published Dec. 1, 2011, simply stated that Ladehoff was injured and rolled the car while attempting to pass another vehicle at a high rate of speed.
