On 10/17/2021, the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office received information to the whereabouts of a vehicle and operator that was involved in a police pursuit in Clay County during the evening of 10/16/2021. As a result of the investigation, the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office went to 4445 420th Avenue to investigate. As a result of the investigation, the vehicle involved in the pursuit was located on the property. Consequently, Michael Ray Hood Jr, age 33 of Laurens, was taken into custody by the Laurens Police Department on a valid Pocahontas County warrant charging him with Failure to Appear on a previous criminal charge. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office seized the vehicle involved in the police pursuit for evidentiary purposes. The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office collected additional evidence at the scene and further charges are pending when such evidence is tested at the Iowa DCI crime lab.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Office, the Laurens Police Department, the Emmetsburg Police Department, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Bud’s Towing of Spencer.
A criminal charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.