Cops nab Ill. man in doughnut van heist

TOLEDO, Iowa -- An Illinois man was arrested after police chased a stolen delivery van loaded with doughnuts across two Iowa counties at speeds of up to 100 mph.

The van, owned by Donut Delite, of Moline, Ill., was stolen early Thursday while the driver was making deliveries at a hospital in nearby Rock Island.

More than 100 miles later in Iowa, a Benton County sheriff's deputy spotted the van about 9:30 a.m. -- and the chase began.

Other officers joined in, and the chase stretched into Tama County. Authorities finally cornered the van in Toledo and arrested the driver, Frank Alvarado, 46, of Moline, Ill. He is charged with theft, eluding and numerous traffic violations.

He was held in the Tama County jail on a $15,000 bond and met with a magistrate Friday. A jail official said he was assigned a public defender, whose name wasn't immediately available.

Security video footage shows Alvarado milling about Trinity Medical Hospital-West's mental health ward lobby. He then walked into a parking lot and drove off in the van.

Hospital officials said Alvarado was not listed as a patient.

The bakery donated the doughnuts to the officers involved in the chase.

"They probably deserved it," said Sharon Wainwright, manager of Delite Donuts.