Police Chase Ends With Arrest of Urbandale Man on Drug Charges

An Urbandale man faces a half-dozen drug charges after allegedly tossing baggies of drugs out his car window during a short chase while fleeing Des Moines police, the Des Moines Register reports.

Robert Leroy Howell, 42, was charged with possession of crack cocaine with intent to deliver, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, two counts of failing to affix a tax stamp, felony eluding, interference with official acts, making an unsafe turn and being in a hit and run accident, according to the Polk County Jail website.

The Register reports Des Moines police stopped a car allegedly driven by Howell about 10 p.m. Tuesday in the 3200 block of University Avenue after seeing him act suspiciously and failing to stay in his lane while turning.

Howell initially stopped, gave police a drivers license and told officers they could search the car, police reports show. But then he accelerated away, the newspaper said.

Officers pursued Howell until the chase ended at the intersection of 31st Street and University Avenue when Howell reportedly struck another vehicle. The occupant of that car was not injured, police said.

The newspaper said officers found an object Howell reportedly had thrown from the car which turned out to be 25 baggies of marijuana. Police also found 16 individually wrapped rocks of crack cocaine and three baggies of cocaine in the car.

Howell is being held in the Polk County Jail on a $142,300 bond, according to the jail website.