Suspect flees from police in Louisa County

CRAWFORDSVILLE — The Louisa County Sheriff’s Office said it was unable to locate a man suspected of domestic abuse and harassment following an hours-long search, after he fled on foot from officers around 10 a.m. on Sept. 26.

In an update posted to Facebook Thursday afternoon, the sheriff’s office said a man named Brian Calvin remained at-large, despite efforts to find him using a K-9 unit and drone. Sheriff Brandon Marquardt said warrants had been requested from a judge as of 2:15 p.m. that day, and said police didn’t believe the suspect was armed.

“He remains on the run and [we] ask that all stay vigilant in the area and call 911 if he is seen,” the sheriff said in an email. “There are no concerns or any threats that he may be a danger to any schools in the area.”

Edits to the Facebook post at 9 p.m. Thursday said Calvin was still at large. Another, added on Friday afternoon, said warrants had been issued for his arrest but offered no further updates, instead saying police would publish a news release once he was in custody. No such news release had been published as of 12 p.m. Monday.

In statements, the department said officers were first called to the scene because of an “active domestic abuse report” on Sept. 26. Police provided an address on County Road W66 to the east of Crawfordsville and south of Cotter, which they said Calvin ran from “right before” their arrival.

Police said they would continue to monitor the area.

On social media, the department asked anyone within a five-mile radius including Crawfordsville, Cotter, Columbus City and rural properties in the area north of Winfield to lock their doors, and call 911 if they saw anyone unexpected in fields or on their property.

Thursday was not Calvin’s first brush with the law in Southeast Iowa. Court records show convictions for drug-related charges in 2018 and 2020. A criminal complaint from the 2020 incident said Calvin also fled from officers then, climbing out of a window and running into a field as police pulled into the driveway with his arrest warrant.

Calvin was found guilty after taking plea bargains in both cases. He was also convicted of domestic assault in Henry County in 2014 and 2015.

Police filed a formal criminal complaint against the man Thursday afternoon. The document said officers were called to the address on W66 around 10 a.m., when the caller told police that Calvin was locked outside of the property after he struck her in the face.

In an affidavit, a deputy said he also observed a video of Calvin threatening the woman if she didn’t “call police back.” The officer filing the complaint said he recognized Calvin’s voice in the recording, saying he had “dealt with Brian numerous times” in his career.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com