http://www.timesreporter.com/news/20161106/busted-motorcyclist-admits-going-167-mph-trapped-at-closed-road
Busted: Motorcyclist admits going 167 mph, trapped at closed road
Sunday
Posted Nov 6, 2016 at 5:53 PM
Updated Nov 6, 2016 at 6:07 PM
Share
By Nancy Molnar Times-Reporter staff writer
DOVER A motorcyclist who admitted traveling faster than 167 mph was cited for speeding Saturday afternoon by the Ohio Highway Patrol after being trapped by a road closure.
The Cleveland-area man was among a pack of four riders who reportedly were traveling in excess of 140 mph on Interstate 77 in the northern half of Tuscarawas County at 12:44 p.m.
A trooper first spotted the southbound motorcyclists on I-77 just south of the Bolivar exit, according to highway patrol Sgt. Christ Wood.
"One of our troopers clocked the motorcycles in excess of 100 mph," Wood said. "He ended up calling off the pursuit of them. He started to go after them, but he could not keep up with them."
Sheriff's Sgt. Bruce Lowery picked up the chase near Dover.
According to his account, the bikes left I-77 at state Route 39 when they saw him pull his patrol car into the lane of travel.
The deputy followed the bikes as they headed west on Route 39. He said they turned onto Red Hill Road and accelerated. At the top of Red Hill Road, three turned east and one went west onto Dummermuth Road.
"Knowing that Dummermuth (Road) was a closed road, I followed the direction of the single motorcycle and found him sitting at the point were the roadway is closed," Lowery wrote.
The cyclist claimed that he was riding by himself until being confronted with the facts, according to the deputy. He further claimed that he did not know his fellow travelers.
The trooper who initially saw the speeding motorcyclists ticketed the one who was caught.
"The rider eventually did admit to a speed in excess of 167 mph," Lowery wrote.
The speeding motorcyclists were a hazard to themselves and others, Wood said.
"People don't understand the dangers that they are creating not only for themselves but other people because they could easily become involved in a crash.
'You never know when traffic is going to come to a sudden stop, especially right now during the fall, with deer in mating season and so forth. You never know when that deer is going to jump out in front of that motorist.
"And then, when you go an excessive speed, obviously you don't have the stopping distance. You're going to need a greater stopping distance.
"And if you're a motorcyclist, you only have two wheels. So if you try to brake suddenly, you basically will go into a skid and then more than likely you're going to be thrown off the bike and it's going to overturn.
"Unfortunately, it's not just motorcycles," Wood said. "We've had regular automobiles going that fast also.
"We definitely discourage excessive speeds by any type of motor vehicle, not only just motorcycles. The greater your speed ...