Speed said in excess of 150 mph: Trial date set for Spokane rider after high-speed motorcycle chase

Formal charges of attempting to elude and driving with a suspended or revoked license were filed Aug. 16 against Emery E. Reeves, 32, Spokane Valley. Reeves was arrested late Aug. 14 as a suspect in an alleged high speed motorcycle pursuit on Highway 195. The Washington State Patrol probable charge report alleged Reeves hit speeds of more than 150 miles-per-hour in a chase between Colfax and Cashup Flat where the suspect’s motorcycle was found in tall grass alongside Klaveano Road.

Reeves pleaded not guilty to the two charges Friday afternoon in superior court. His bond for pre-trial release was amended down from $100,000 to $10,000 surety or $1,000 in cash. He posted the bond and was released.

Trial date on the two charges was scheduled for Nov. 13. Spokane Attorney Tracy Scott Collins filed a notice with the court that he will represent Reeves in court.

Last Tuesday, Aug. 14, a motorcycle and helmet were found in the tall grass off Klaveano Road in the Cashup area. Officers and volunteers conducted an extensive search in the Cashup area without success. Reeves was eventually arrested after a resident in the Cashup area at approximately 7:30 p.m. reported seeing a man get out of a grassy area and get into the back seat of an extended cab pickup truck. The pickup truck was stopped at mile marker 79 in Spokane County on Highway 195 and Reeves was arrested. The truck turned out to be driven by Reeves’ employer, who said Reeves called him and reported he had had mechanical trouble with this motorcycle.

The motorcycle Reeves was believed to have been riding was pursued by a Washington State Patrol motorcycle trooper who was at the Corner Chevron in north Colfax when the high speed chase began at about 1:30. Trooper Robert Taylor, who followed along behind the two motorcycles noted they were traveling in excess of 150 mph as they were pulling away from his patrol cruiser.

A trooper located north of the chase on 195 at the time reported he did not see the oncoming cycle pass him, and Whitcom received reports from the grain elevator crew at Cashup that the cycle rider had turned off the highway.

Prosecutor Denis Tracy after the arrest urged any motorists who witnessed the high speed chase between Colfax and Cashup to call the WSP office in Colfax or the Sheriff’s office.