Clarksville man charged in Bengtson traffic death

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Floyd County Attorney’s Office has filed a felony charge against the man allegedly involved in a young Charles City bicyclist’s death last August, accusing him of looking at a message on Facebook on his phone when the collision occurred.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of Colby William Elliot, age 44, of Clarksville, last Friday, May 21, and he turned himself in at the Floyd County Courthouse on Monday. He was charged with homicide by vehicle — reckless driving, a Class C felony, for the death of Ellen Bengtson, age 28.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Floyd County District Court, Elliot “unlawfully and unintentionally” caused Bengtson’s death “by operating a motor vehicle in a reckless manner with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.”

Elliot was also charged with a traffic violation for reckless driving.

On the reckless driving complaint, it alleges that on Aug. 2, 2020, Elliot was driving a 2017 Ford F-150 pickup southbound on county road T-64 (Shadow Avenue). At 7:42 p.m. he came upon Bengtson, who was also southbound on T-64.

“The defendant’s pickup struck the bicyclist, resulting in the bicycle and the female rider being thrown into the west ditch,” the record says.

An Iowa State Patrol report at the time said Bengtson was transferred by Mercy Air Med helicopter to MercyOne-North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City, where she died from her injuries.

The court record states, “The defendant while at the scene with law enforcement officers stated several time that right before the collision he had looked at his cellular phone and opened up his Facebook app to look at a message. The defendant stated to law enforcement that he did not even know what he struck when the collision occurred. The statements of the defendant were captured on law

enforcement video/audio equipment while they were talking with defendant.”

The document says that search warrants of Elliot’s cellular phone allegedly show he received a message on Facebook at about the time of the collision, and that after the collision he allegedly made several texts to others where he said he was on his phone when the collision occurred and did not see what he hit.

Magistrate Katherine Evans ordered Elliot released under pretrial supervision of the Iowa Department of Correctional Services, in lieu of a $10,000 bond, under an agreement reached by the County Attorney’s Office and the defense, court records show.

Attorney Robert Rehkemper of West Des Moines made an appearance on behalf of Elliot and entered a plea of not guilty.

Bengtson’s parents, Peter and JoAnn Bengtson, who live in Richland, Washington, filed a civil suit against Elliot in March, individually and as administrators of Ellen Bengtson’s estate.

In the suit, the Bengtsons allege that Elliott was negligent.