Our coverage partner KCRG reports the City of Manchester has been ordered to pay $4.25 million in a wrongful death lawsuit stemming from a 2020 high speed police chase.
A31-year old Augustin Mormann of Colesburg died following the chase. Investigators said he was speeding while driving a motorcycle on a suspended license in December 2020, reaching speeds exceeding 100 mph.
The Iowa State Patrol and the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office disengaged, but authorities said Manchester Police officer James Wessels restarted the chase and crashed into Mormann, fatally injuring him. Mormann died a little more than a month later in January 2021.
The Delaware County jury included a penalty of $10,000 in punitive damages for Wessels, determining he acted with “willful wanton and reckless disregard” causing Mormann’s death.
