Two L-C valley residents plead not guilty to eluding

Two Lewiston-Clarkston Valley residents pleaded not guilty after being accused of leading a Washington State Patrol trooper on a high-speed motorcycle chase that ended in a crash.

Seth Brown and Mathew Florek, both 19 years old, appeared in the Whitman County Superior Court on Friday. They were charged with one count felony eluding a pursuing police vehicle. The alleged crime is a Class C felony, and Brown and Florek face a maximum of five years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.

The case began when a trooper was patrolling the south Pullman bypass the evening of June 9, and saw two sport bike motorcycles allegedly driving at a high rate of speed, according to court records. He pulled onto Washington State Route 195 and began to pursue the vehicles.

Activating his radar antenna, the trooper tried to alert the drivers he was following them. He noted in records he reached speeds of over 90 mph in a posted 60-mph zone to try and overtake the motorcycles.

The motorcycles were driving side-by-side, allegedly keeping up with each other at a fast speed. According to records, the trooper observed one motorcyclist allegedly crossing into the opposite lane while in a no-passing zone, then reentering the lane when a car approached.

Both motorcycles immediately accelerated when the trooper activated his emergency lights, according to records. The trooper noted one motorcyclist allegedly began to drive into an oncoming lane at a high speed while in a no-passing zone. At this time, the trooper realized neither motorcycle planned to stop and began to activate his emergency sirens.

While approaching a bend in the road, one motorcycle failed to lower its speed and had trouble navigating the curve. The vehicle allegedly drove straight off the roadway at a high speed, according to records, and the driver was seen flung from the motorcycle and sent into tall grass. The other motorcycle didn’t yield, and continued to drive southbound away from the crash.

The trooper pulled over and requested medical assistance and additional law enforcement units. He exited his patrol car and began to search for the ejected motorcyclist. A few moments later, the other motorcycle approached and began to search for his friend, according to records.

The motorcyclist involved in the crash emerged from the brush and approached troopers. He was taken to a hospital to be evaluated, and was found to have minimal injuries. The trooper noted in records the ejected driver was allegedly traveling at speeds of around 86 mph when he crashed.

The other motorcyclist told the trooper he didn’t initially pull over because he couldn’t stop and needed to turn around.

Both Brown and Florek are scheduled to appear in Whitman County Superior Court on July 14.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com