DASH-CAM VIDEO: Trooper, Officer Ticketed For Alleged Speeding
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DASH-CAM VIDEO: Trooper, Officer Ticketed For...
OSP releases dash-cam video Friday after an off-duty trooper and off-duty officer were ticketed for allegedly driving nearly 150 mph on I-70.
OSP
OSP releases dash-cam video after an off-duty trooper and off-duty officer were ticketed for allegedly driving nearly 150 mph on I-70.
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.
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Reader Reactions
There are a lot of individuals that are trained and can handle highrates of speed. These troopers are expected to engage in highspeed pursuits. They need to keep their skills sharp. There are risks involved but they need the practice. I’m sure they aren’t there to injure people. They are law enforcement officers. I don’t think they should receive any punishment. If anything build them a circuit track to let them hone their skills. A lot of you don’t like highspeeds because you can’t handle it. Some of us can. Yes, I’ve driven in over 17 different countries including Germany-Autobahn.
dman1972,I was almost with you until number 3 of your points.
There is NO CHANCE of police standing around joking and not lecturing(at the least) ANY individual other than fellow officers,C’mon.
DBCooper1969, There are already enough myths and urban legends starting to be created by all of this to begin with, so please try not to create anymore than there already is.
1. Nobody that I know of has ever been “instructed” to not give chase to a motorcycle that is 100MPH or more. It is left completely at the officer’s discretion. Is it wise not to give chase? Probably, but if we go around saying these mythical things like this, then we create a problem with some getting the mindset “they’re not allowed to chase me, so I’m gonna’ do it”.
2. The pilot does not have to sign anywhere on that ticket for it to be a valid citation. If a court trial results from the citation, then both the pilot and the arresting (meaning ticket issuing) officer have to be there to testify.
3. This is not one that you said, but I’ve heard many say “if that had been any of us, we’d have been pulled of our bikes and on the ground being handcuffed and our bikes impounded”.
In all of my time on the job, I’ve never known this to happen, unless there was something else involved, such as driving under suspension, an arrest warrant, an OVI/DUI, or the operator became beligerent and had to be put in their “time out” corner (jail).
Sorry Enforcer my error in attributing the last comment to you.
Posted by ( rofo1453 ) on July 11, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Actually Fair-Balanced, Wreckless-OP is a fourth degree Misdemeanor and can be enhanced up to a second degree. I know, I have written the ticket before; so check your facts before you post something you don’t know about. All you have to do is google it and you can find the answer. Additionally, a fourth degree misdemeanor is an arrestable offense. Period.
Enforcer: I hope those you claim to have ticketed for ‘Wreckless’ your spelling error not mine can read the Ohio Revised Code because again it is a minor misdemeanor UNLESS there are applicable prior offenses (see below from the ORC)
(B) Except as otherwise provided in this division, whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to one predicate motor vehicle or traffic offense, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. If, within one year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of two or more predicate motor vehicle or traffic offenses, whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
Police corruption is nothing new. That’s really what we’re talking about here. It isn’t merely a case of ONE law breaking cop breaking ONE law on ONE day. These fellows are clearly accustomed to ignoring the same laws they enforce in the name of public safety. They aren’t stupid cops as some have said. They are simply DIRTY COPS. They understood that they were putting the public at risk and they just didn’t care. Arrogance of that nature cannot be trusted to pull my wife over on a lonely stretch of highway at night. Suppose temptation of another kind should be too much for these children with badges to resist? Fire them all for their weakness before they go too far again and kill someone I love.
It’s stuff like this that makes me dislike traffic cops. I don’t hate the idea of traffic cops. I just hate every one I have ever seen, with two exceptions.
I had a girlfriend who got out of a ticket because she knew one of the officer’s relatives. She was going 80 in a 55. I’m not even going to go on about gender issues here.
I, however, was pulled over on Labor day weekend because the officer “Saw me cross the center line SEVERAL times.“, which was a blatant lie because he had only been able to see me for roughly 300 feet and I was completely sober.
And I can see a cop getting out of a ticket here and there going even 15mph over the speed limit, but if you’re clocked going 147 in a non-emergency, your a$$ better be going to jail; I know mine would.
Actually Fair-Balanced, Wreckless-OP is a fourth degree Misdemeanor and can be enhanced up to a second degree. I know, I have written the ticket before; so check your facts before you post something you don’t know about. All you have to do is google it and you can find the answer. Additionally, a fourth degree misdemeanor is an arrestable offense. Period.
And DBCooper, Trust me, Highsmith and Thomas have received favorable treatment. If a regular citizen gets pulled over doing that type of speed, the law enforcement officer will NOT be a very nice person; definitely not joking around with individual they pulled over. And without a doubt the vehichle would be impounded; which it is a fact that Highsmith and Thomas did NOT have their motorcycles impounded. Just because an article that you read on the internet failed to mention that the bikes were not impounded doesn’t that they were.
Whoever said that the fine was only $1 obviously wrote that to inflame the comments. The website clearly shows that a $1 court fee was assessed for the ticket. Both have appearances from attorneys entered on their behalf. Another right provided to all. It seems that this is common practice in Licking County when it comes to tickets. So once again the officers ‘got away’ with nothing.
I am more upset that the officers pulling them over haven’t been fired. If the $1 fine is true, it is also a disgrace, but corruption of someone carrying a badge and a gun deserves zero tolerance. Why was it 4 days later the citation was issued? Why did the officers pulling them over not check the license? Why was the microphone turned off? It is because they had no intention of writing the ticket at all. The only reason it got out is probably because someone overheard the officer talking about it in the break room. Fire them all! I am not paying taxes for this BS when I get a ticket for going 75 in a 65.
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