IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - One of Iowa's most senior criminal investigators was placed on leave in May days after he filed a complaint about seeing the governor's official vehicle racing past highway traffic at about 90 miles per hour, according to records obtained by The Associated Press.
Special Agent in Charge Larry Hedlund, a 25-year veteran of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, wrote in his April 29 complaint to Commissioner Brian London that Gov. Terry Branstad shouldn't be "above the laws of the State of Iowa" and that his speeding SUV had put the public at risk.
The next day, Hedlund found himself under scrutiny, facing questions about why he was driving a state vehicle on the day he witnessed the speeding incident, which was a vacation day.
On April 26, Hedlund had been involved in a three-car pursuit involving a vehicle traveling at 90 miles per hour that turned out to be transporting the Republican governor and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. The driver, a state trooper assigned to the governor's security detail, was allowed to proceed without being stopped.
Hedlund wrote that the black Chevy Tahoe zipped past him when he was driving west on Highway 20 near Iowa Falls. He said he reported the vehicle speeding "at a dangerous and high rate of speed" to a dispatcher, who called a trooper for assistance.
Hedlund pursued the speeding vehicle for several miles, and told trooper Matthew Eimers he would act as his backup during the eventual stop. Eimers clocked the vehicle at 84 miles per hour, then sped past a school bus and several cars during the pursuit before catching up to the Chevy. He did not stop it after realizing it was a fellow trooper, Steve Lawrence, transporting Branstad and Reynolds.
Hedlund wrote that he understood why the trooper exercised his discretion in not stopping the vehicle, given the governor's influence. But Heldund, who oversees the DCI's work in northeastern Iowa, said that he would pursue an investigation as the highest-ranking officer involved to ensure "appropriate actions are taken." He said he would contact the prosecutors in the counties where the incident occurred.
"In addition to the well-known dangers of traveling at a high rate of speed, this incident further demonstrates how a situation like this can quickly put others at risk," Hedlund wrote. "In this case, a school bus possibly full of children. The consequences of three vehicles traveling at high speeds could have been tragic."
He added: "This department can't afford to ignore what apparently is a common practice that puts the general public in danger. Regardless of what dignitaries might be in the back seat of the speeding vehicle it is still against the law."
Hedlund's attorney, Tom Duff, gave the complaint to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Department of Public Safety had refused to release a copy under the public records law Tuesday, saying it was a personnel record that could be kept confidential.
Duff said Hedlund wanted to release the complaint to make clear he was not trying to get the troopers in trouble. "The point was to alert his supervisors that the governor was going 90 and nobody is doing anything about it," he said.
Hedlund held the governor responsible for the incident, writing that Branstad had to be "aware the vehicle was speeding and was by proxy, the cause of the vehicle to be speeding." He said the trooper driving the governor is often told when the governor is behind schedule - "one of those "read between the lines' communications with potentially very bad ramifications."
Branstad denied that Wednesday, telling reporters in Des Moines that he was unaware of the speeding incident at the time. He said that he never tells his drivers to speed and that he trusts their judgment while he's often working in the backseat.
"They are good drivers, they know what they're doing. I'm not going to be a backseat driver," he said.
In response to Hedlund's memo, DCI director Chari Paulson asked him to explain why he was driving his state vehicle on the day of the pursuit, which was a scheduled vacation day, according to an email released by Duff. Hedlund responded that he had sacrificed part of his day to drive to Cedar Rapids to meet with a retired homicide investigator to seek input about supervising a cold case unit, an assignment he had recently accepted.
The next day, Duff said Hedlund was stripped of his duties and told he was under investigation for insubordination and rules violations. Hedlund, 55, was interviewed last month as part of that review and hopes to clear his name. He had been supervising the DCI's investigation into the slaying of two cousins who were kidnapped while riding their bikes a year ago, among other cases.
Branstad said he would reserve judgment about whether Hedlund has been treated fairly, saying the department's investigation will determine his fate. Asked whether the trooper driving him should have been ticketed, he said that was a "judgment call" but noted it was also under review. He insisted he's not above the law.
"I believe that everybody ought to be treated equally and fairly under the law," he said. "I really have confidence that the Department of Public Safety is doing this in a very professional way and I have confidence they will do an independent review and determine the appropriate action."
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Associated Press writer Catherine Lucey in Des Moines contributed to this report.
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Earlier version of story...
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - A trooper pursued an SUV that was speeding at 90 mph with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad inside, but declined to pull the driver over after realizing he was transporting the state's top elected official, audio recordings released Tuesday indicate.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety said it has launched a review of its handling of the April incident in which dispatchers, according to the recordings released to the Associated Press, laughed after learning the vehicle in question was the governor's.
Days later, the department placed the investigator who initiated the pursuit, Special Agent in Charge Larry Hedlund, on administrative leave. Hedlund's attorney said Tuesday the personnel action was retaliation for the agent complaining to superiors that the trooper driving the governor was improperly given a pass after putting public safety at risk. A Branstad spokesman denied that allegation.
"Did you get the wind, the word on who that vehicle was?" Hedlund could be heard asking the dispatcher in the recordings, before chuckling. "I guess my career doesn't have enough problems the way it is. It was the governor."
Hedlund, of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, had called a dispatcher on April 26 to report a black Chevrolet Tahoe that was driving a "hard 90" mph on westbound Highway 20 near Iowa Falls. The dispatcher called for the assistance of a nearby trooper, who eventually moved to intercept the vehicle several miles away after the SUV turned onto the Interstate 35 southbound ramp. The dispatcher also checked the vehicle's license plate number, which raised suspicion when it did not turn up in a computer database.
Hedlund pursued the SUV in his state vehicle for miles until the trooper arrived. Hedlund promised to be that trooper's backup during the stop. The SUV ultimately was clocked at 84 mph, well over the highway's speed limit of 65.
Dash camera video shows the unidentified trooper zip in and out of traffic to catch up to the governor's vehicle and pass a school bus at a high rate of speed before ending the pursuit after realizing who was inside the SUV.
Radio call logs indicated it was "Car 1," a reference to the governor's vehicle. By then, the SUV had traveled through three counties and covered 15 miles.
The governor's schedule shows he was returning to Des Moines after appearing at an event in Parkersburg. Branstad's driving detail comes from a state patrol unit assigned to protect the governor, first lady, lieutenant governor and other dignitaries.
Lt. Rob Hansen, spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Safety, which includes DCI and the patrol, said the department is reviewing the incident as part of a personnel investigation. He said trooper Steve Lawrence was driving the governor, and trooper Matthew Eimers was the one who responded and let him go. Hansen said troopers can be ticketed for speeding.
Branstad has made highway safety a priority since retaking office in 2011. Last year, he signed a measure into law that increased sanctions against drivers who pass stopped school buses, and his transportation aides have a goal of reducing highway deaths to zero.
Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds were inside the SUV, but were not aware of the incident until Tuesday, governor spokesman Tim Albrecht said. He added that Branstad has "great faith and trust" in the law enforcement officials who drive him throughout Iowa's 99 counties.
On the recordings, Hedlund thanked the dispatcher he talked to during the check of the governor's vehicle.
"OK, no problem," the dispatcher responded before sharing a laugh with Hedlund.
"I feel bad for the trooper," Hedlund said.
"That's OK. I'm sure they realized you guys are out there doing your job, right?" the dispatcher responded.
The incident happened on Friday afternoon, and Hedlund complained Monday, April 29, to superiors about the governor's driver being let go without consequence, Hedlund's attorney, Tom Duff, said. Two days later, the attorney said, agents showed up at Hedlund's home to take his gun, badge, car, phone and laptop and inform him he was on leave. Duff said they told Hedlund it was for alleged insubordination and rules violations.
"He feared exactly what was going to happen. If he raised that issue, there was going to be some retaliation," Duff said. "He took the weekend to think about whether it was going to be worth it. If you ask him, he'd do it again."