MASON CITY, Iowa — A Mason City man was arrested early Saturday morning after allegedly stealing a pickup truck and leading police on a brief pursuit that ended in a crash, according to the Mason City Police Department.
Police say officers responded around 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 25 after a resident reported his truck had been stolen from the River II Apartments at 215 2nd St. SW. The vehicle, a 2019 Ford Ranger, had been left running and unattended.
The theft was reported within five minutes, and officers quickly located the truck near 5th Street and South Monroe Avenue. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but it accelerated away, according to authorities.
During the pursuit, the driver reportedly lost control of the truck, striking a median and a light pole before driving through an empty parking lot and coming to a stop in a yard near 6th Street and South Adams Avenue.
Police conducted a high-risk vehicle stop and took the driver, identified as 38-year-old Kaleb Martinez Prestby, into custody. Prestby complained of a leg injury following the crash and was transported by Mason City Fire Department medics to Mercy Hospital for evaluation.
While at the hospital, officers obtained a search warrant to collect a body specimen from Prestby due to suspicion of impairment while operating the vehicle. The truck was later towed from the scene.
Prestby was deemed fit for jail and transported to the Cerro Gordo County Jail. He was charged with theft of a vehicle, driving while suspended, and failure to maintain control. An OWI charge is pending the results of toxicology testing.
The incident remains under investigation.
