Austin man charged in chase doesn’t show up for court hearing, court documents say

(ABC 6 News) – An Austin man charged with fleeing police is now accused of fleeing from the justice system.

Weston William Zuehl, 40, faces charges of fleeing police in a motor vehicle, fleeing police on foot, driving after license revocation, driving without current registration, and failure to stop at a stop sign.

Mower County court documents say he didn’t show up for a hearing on Friday. Zuehl posted $25,000 bond March 12.

Court records show a deputy with the Mower County Sheriff’s Office tried to conduct a traffic stop on Zuehl’s vehicle on the evening of March 8, after allegedly seeing him fail to stop at a sign on County Road 6.

According to court documents, Zuehl accelerated and led the deputy on a 15-mile chase that crossed into Iowa and Freeborn County over the course of 30 minutes.

The Mower County Sheriff’s Office claims the vehicle finally stopped at 140th Street and 855th Avenue, where deputies found the vehicle abandoned and followed tracks in the snow to Zuehl, who was laying face-down in the snow against a barbed wire fence.

Zuehl was taken to the Mower County Jail, where law enforcement discovered 11 other traffic and fleeing police convictions on his record.

Zuehl’s jury trial is set for July 31.