He flew by an unmarked police car at 110 mph according to reports.
(SALEM, Ore.) - A Salem man was cited and released Friday afternoon following what police say were two separate attempts to elude an Oregon State Police captain in the Salem area.
Lieutenant Gregg Hastings with OSP says a citizen helped troopers locate the suspect after following him to his residence where he attempted to hide his motorcycle and avoid capture.
Friday at approximately 4:20 PM, OSP Captain Calvin Curths was in an unmarked patrol vehicle northbound on Interstate 5 approaching Salem when a silver 2008 Yamaha motorcycle drove past at a high rate of speed, Hastings said.
"Captain Curths attempted to stop it and it sped up to speeds in excess of 110 mph until exiting at Commercial Street where he went out of sight."
Hastings said Curths spotted it shortly thereafter at a stop light and tried a second time to stop it but it sped off and eluded again.
Reports indicate that an unnamed citizen followed the motorcycle after it eluded the captain to a residence and called 9-1-1. Salem police responded to an address on Crowley Avenue and notified OSP.
The motorcycle rider, identified as 21-year old Jordan Anthony Leon of Salem, allegedly hid the motorcycle in the garage.
Captain Curths and other officers from OSP and Salem PD responded to the house and arrested Leon for Reckless Driving, Felony Attempt to Elude on a Vehicle, and Exceeding the Posted Speed Limit to wit: 110 mph in a 65 mph speed zone. He was cited and released to appear in Marion County Circuit Court.
Drivers need to remember that unmarked police cars are not always police, sometimes they are criminal imposters. This case is different; but all drivers, particularly women, should use great caution and only pull over for an unmarked car with lights in a lighted, public place.
The practice of using unmarked cars presents many problems, and as this case shows, the hidden police vehicles do little in the way of impacting the speed of drivers who always slow down when a marked police car comes into view.
It is a clear choice of police agencies to either prevent a crime from taking place at all, or to lay in wait for a good, honest citizen to make a mistake and pounce on them as they "catch them in the act."
High-Speed Motorcycle Chase Leads to Man's Arrest in SalemSalem-News.com