Trooper, Officer Ticketed For Alleged Speeding
Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:46 pm
Video:
http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/art ... ing/19172/
http://www.nbc4i.com/cmh/news/local/art ... ing/19172/
Wow.[NEWARK, Ohio—The Ohio State Highway Patrol released video Friday after an off-duty trooper and off-duty officer were ticketed for allegedly driving nearly 150 mph on an interstate highway.
NBC 4’s Patrick Preston reported with the FAST FACTS.
An OSP radar plane clocked the men allegedly going those speeds, and troopers made the traffic stop.
The video was taken by two troopers’ cruisers.
Authorities said off-duty state trooper Jason Highsmith, 35, was clocked going 147 mph on Interstate 70, east of Columbus, where the speed limit is 65 mph.
Authorities said Christopher Thomas, 33, was clocked going 149 mph on I-70.
The incident happened Sunday, June 28.
Thomas has been on injured leave from the Gahanna police department since last December after he slipped and fell on ice.
Thomas continues to receive pay and benefits, including vacation time.
Here’s an abbreviated transcript of the dash-cam video:
Trooper Bryan Lee: “Either one of you have anything on you I need to know about?”
“No sir. A couple badges is all,” one of the motorcyclists said.
(Highsmith does most of the talking on the video, but it was unclear which one of the two men were responding each time.)
The conversation with Trooper Bryan Lee changed tone.
Lee: “What’s your name? Bryan. You? Highsmith. Did you say Highsmith? Yeah. I think you were at the academy when I was there. Did I train you? I think you beat the [expletive] out of the guy who had me. Oww.”
“You gotta do what you gotta do, man. We were pushing it today.”
The men shake hands and laugh and joke about the speeding.
Lee: “You’re a motorcycle cop? What? How fast were you going?”
Highsmith said they were driving in an open stretch. And Lee apparently took him at his word, despite traffic in the background.
“If you guys don’t mind, just tell them we’re a bunch of cops. Don’t tell them I’m a trooper ’cause that will get back.”
Lee turned off his audio before ever discussing the possibility of a ticket, of a reckless driving charge or even asking if the men were racing.
They talk another four minutes, exchange handshakes and drive away. No paperwork was filled out. Driver’s licenses weren’t checked.
A third motorcyclist also was part of the group but was not clocked on radar and was not ticketed.
An OSP spokesperson said Lee’s microphone should have remained on during the entire traffic stop and the issue will be addressed later.
As for the joking and lack of questions about reckless driving and racing, OSP said no two traffic stops are alike and the speeding charge was explained.
Four days later, troopers issued Highsmith a ticket, and eight days later Thomas was issued a citation.
Neither man has been charged with reckless driving currently.
Highsmith entered a plea of not guilty before Licking County Municipal Court Judge David Branstool Wednesday.
Branstool said the lack of charges didn’t matter and that he could use his discretion to suspend Highsmith’s license for as much as three years for driving in reckless circumstances.
“I don’t expect the court to have any leniency. What I did was 100 percent wrong. I made a mistake,” Highsmith said in court.
One Columbus defense attorney said he thinks the case will be scrutinized heavily.
“I think it’s going to have a big ripple effect for criminal defense attorneys,” Michael Probst said.
Probst said his clients have been charged with reckless driving for going 20 miles over the speed limit.
He said he’s never had a client drive 147 miles per hour, and he said he thinks fellow lawyers will cite the officers’ case in contesting reckless driving charges against their clients.
“I absolutely think that local criminal defense attorneys will point to this case, especially considering that they’re police officers,” Probst.
Thomas was expected in court next week.
