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SPANISH FORK — A 20-year-old Spanish Fork man with a motorcycle learner's permit is facing criminal charges accusing him of trying to get away from police at double the speed limit to avoid getting another ticket.
The man was recorded going 108 mph in a 50-mph zone on a bullet bike, according to police.
He was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with failing to respond to an officer's signal to stop, a third-degree felony; reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor; plus infractions of speeding and not having a driver's license.
On Monday, an officer attempted to stop the man for speeding on U.S. 6 near 400 North in Spanish Fork. At a stop sign, however, even though the emergency lights on the officer's patrol car were on, the motorcycle rider made a right turn and sped away, according to charging documents.
A second officer recorded the man going 108 mph in a 50-mph zone on Canyon Road as he passed by, according to the charges.
An attempt-to-locate was broadcasted to surrounding police agencies. An off-duty Utah County sheriff's deputy spotted a man in Mapleton pacing back and forth next to his motorcycle. When the off-duty deputy talked to him, he told him he had just fled from officers in Spanish Fork, a police booking affidavit states.
The man was detained at that point. When he was questioned after being taken into custody, the man — who only has a learner's permit for his motorcycle — allegedly said he had received a citation two weeks earlier and did not want to get another one.
The man was booked into the Utah County Jail.
