A high-speed police chase traversing 29 miles of Decatur County roadway ended Thursday night when a man fleeing on a motorcycle crashed and was found hiding in a shed.
Nineteen-year-old Robert Trey Richardson, of 307 Hales Landing Road, Bainbridge, was arrested late Thursday night after he refused to stop for officers from Bainbridge Public Safety, the Georgia State Patrol and Sheriff’s Office.
Richardson, who allegedly fled from police at speeds in excess of 130 miles per hour on his motorcycle, was charged with 16 total traffic offenses, including driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless driving, State Trooper 1st Class Walt Landrum of the GSP’s Donalsonville post said Friday.
According to Landrum, the chase began at about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, when Sgt. Michael Hall of Bainbridge Public Safety observed a man later identified as Richardson speeding on a motorcycle while not wearing a helmet.
Hall followed the motorcycle onto Edgewood Drive, then Second Street and then onto Avenue B in southwest Bainbridge, where Richardson sped up in an apparent attempt to flee, said Landrum, who took part in the chase after Hall requested assistance.
Long chase passed same point twice
Officers tried to box in the biker at the junction of Avenue C and Georgia 97 South, but he sped up and gained ground on officers pursuing him.
Landrum followed Richardson onto Green Shade Road and then north onto Georgia 309.
Sheriff’s deputies tried to block the biker’s path, but he evaded them and then raced back into Bainbridge on South West Street. At this point, Landrum said he decided to abandon the chase to protect the safety of other motorists, as he watched Richardson run a red light at the intersection of West and Shotwell streets. However, a Sheriff’s deputy saw Richardson continue toward Old Quincy Highway, which connects to Georgia 97 South, and the chase was back on, Landrum said.
Back on Avenue B, where the chase had passed minutes earlier, Richardson collided with the patrol car of BPS Officer Nigel Hurst and ran into a ditch, where the biker fled on foot, Landrum said.
Officers chased Richardson into a wooded area, where Officer Doug Whiddon, who was working his first shift since graduating from police academy in Forsyth, Ga., found the biker hiding in a shed.
According to the Decatur County Jail, Richardson was released Friday on a $16,600 bond. He was charged with driving without a license on his person, fleeing or attempting to elude police officer, expired tag, driving on wrong class of license, failure to stop for stop sign, no tag, failure to maintain lane, failure to stop at red light, leaving the scene of an accident, obstruction of an officer, no insurance, driving without a helmet, DUI (alcohol), improper passing, driving on the wrong side of the road, reckless driving and speeding.
In 2005, there were 4,035 motorcycle crashes in Georgia, according to the Governor’s Office for Highway Safety. As a result of the crashes, 2,795 motorcyclists were injured and 144 were killed, approximately triple the motorcycle-related deaths in 1995.
“Motorcycles are much smaller than cars and they can be tough to see,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said at a news conference on motorcycle safety held in February. “We all need to exercise patience and caution—to be aware of our surroundings, to check our blind spots, put on our seatbelt or helmet … and, above all, don’t speed!”
For more information on motorcycle safety, people may visit the GOHS Web site at www.gahighwaysafety.org.
