Driver Charged After Causing Over a Quarter-of-a-Million Dollars in Road Damages

A Howard County man is facing a felony charge after causing more than a quarter of a million dollars in damages to a northeast Iowa road last fall.

The Howard County Sheriff’s Office arrested 25-year-old Logan Harden of Lime Springs on a charge of first-degree criminal mischief, a Class C felony. He’s accused of driving down a closed road that was recently paved, but the concrete wasn’t dry yet.

According to court documents, Harden left Laddy’s Bar and Grill in Chester the evening of October 21, 2022, and drove down the closed road, which was blocked off and clearly not open to traffic. The tires of Harden’s Lincoln Navigator sank into newly laid concrete, leaving tracks behind in the pavement. He then turned around and went back up the road.

After the incident, Authorities say Harden asked a friend in Chester to hide the SUV in his friend’s garage.

Prosecutors say Harden caused almost $270,000 in damages to the road.

Court records also show that Harden was cited in November for trespassing and failure to provide proof of liability insurance