TOLEDO - The situation wasn't funny, and Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera doesn't appreciate the jokes.

His deputies helped end a high-speed chase Thursday morning that involved a van reportedly stolen in Illinois. The pursuit began in Benton County and speeds reached 100 mph at times. Nine officers from four agencies participated.

The chase came to a conclusion at 10:30 a.m. when officers forced the plain white Chevy van to stop near a drive-through restaurant.

"This was a serious incident and we do not take this type of incident lightly as we have the utmost concern for the public and our officer's safety," Kucera said in a prepared statement.

Problem is the van was a delivery vehicle owned by Donut Delight Ltd. of Moline, Ill., and was loaded with doughnuts. Frank Alvarado, 46, of Moline, reportedly boosted the van at about 5 a.m. when a delivery driver made a stop at the Rock Island Hospital.

The coincidence of the cargo prompted a statement from the Tama County Attorney's Office that included comments attributed to Richard Vander Mey, assistant Tama County attorney.

"What strikes me as a bit out of the ordinary in this case is the number of officers who were able to respond," Vander Mey said. "I don't know whether the fact that the stolen vehicle contained donuts has anything to do with that."

The statement - distributed to various media outlets around Northeast Iowa - offered a suggested headline: "Angry Cops Swarm After Stolen Donut Truck."

The narrative also noted the many officers at the chase's finish and that some showed up in personal cars: "It is unknown whether these officers overheard radio communications regarding the chase or found the location by use of their olfactory senses."

Kucera isn't laughing.

"We do not condone this type of humor at the expense of the department's integrity," the sheriff wrote.

Five Tama County deputies joined the pursuit as the van entered their jurisdiction. One attempted to disable the vehicle with a spike strip to deflate the van's tires, but Alvarado was able to avoid the device.

Apparently because of congestion near the intersection of U.S. highways 63 and 30, Alvarado pulled into a nearby Hardee's. There, law enforcement blocked Alvarado and arrested him at gunpoint.

"There was contact between the two vehicles," Tama County deputy Chad Hansen said.

"We were just afraid he would try and drive off," he added.

The county attorney's office added "courthouse employees and persons present at the Tama County Courthouse … were invited downstairs to the Sheriff's office to view and eat the evidence."

Sharon Wainwright, manager of Donut Delite, said the bakery did offer their goods to the officers involved in the chase.

"They probably deserved it," Wainwright said.

Karen Calkins, day shift manager for Donut Delite, this morning said officers in Tama County declined the gift. Calkins suspected "they'd never hear the end of it."

Hansen also said the doughnuts were returned.

Wainwright was a bit surprised to hear the van was so far away and that authorities had found the vehicle so quickly.

She said the incident was the first time a van has been stolen while on a route. The driver of the van had about 50 stops to make when the vehicle was taken. Wainwright said the driver had four stops left, but there were still many doughnuts in the van.

Alvarado was charged with first-degree theft, a Class C felony; eluding police officers, a Class D felony; and numerous traffic violations. He was scheduled to appear before a magistrate in Tama County District Court this morning.

Josh Nelson, Dennis Magee and Karen Heinselman contributed to this story. Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1451 or josh.nelson@wcfcourier.com.