Posted: July 23rd, 2011 5:59 PM
(Joshua Lawson)
(Micah Villarreal)
Two motorists are facing reckless driving charges following their arrests in separate incidents in Marion County.Traffic Safety Deputy Ethan Griffith was patrolling on his motorcycle on Friday at 1:00pm. He spotted a black BMW sedan entering Interstate 5 from the Delaney Road bypass in Salem. The car was traveling at a high rate of speed, which was verified by radar at 105 miles per hour. The posted bypass speed limit is 55mph.
The driver, Micah Villarreal, is an 18-year old U.S. Air Force Cadet stationed in Colorado Springs. He was in Salem visiting relatives. He told Deputy Griffith he was just "merging into traffic". Villarreal was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on Reckless Driving charges. He was also cited for the speeding violation. His vehicle was impounded.
On Saturday afternoon at 3:00pm, Traffic Safety Deputy Casey Burnham was patrolling in the area of Highway 22 and Fir Grove Lane, east of Stayton. He observed two motorcycles traveling westbound on Highway 22 at an extremely high rate of speed. The first motorcycle was a 2007 Suzuki XR1. Using his laser, Deputy Burnham verified the speed of the Suzuki at 137mph. He wasn't able to verify the speed of the second motorcycle, a Harley Davidson, which slowed rapidly upon seeing the Deputy's patrol vehicle. As he stopped the Suzuki, the second motorcycle cruised by and stopped further down the road.
The driver of the Suzuki was identified as Joshua Lawson, 31, of Troutdale. When asked about his speed, Lawson said he was "being stupid". He added that he was actually going faster than 137mph before Burnham stopped him.
During this contact, the Harley Davidson rider returned to the scene of the traffic stop. The driver was determined to be Lawson's father. Lacking the evidence to arrest or cite him, Burnham released him with a stern warning about the hazards of his driving.
Lawson was arrested for Reckless Driving and his motorcycle was impounded. He was cited for the speeding and booked at the Marion County Jail for Reckless Driving.
While being transported to jail, Lawson told the deputy that he was going to sell his motorcycle and forfeit his motorcycle license because he'd become too "comfortable" driving at the speed for which he was arrested.
The fine for driving at these speeds is $1148. The bail for the Reckless Driving charge is $5000. If Villarreal & Lawson are unable to post the bail, they will be held until their court appearance on Monday, July 25th.
Burnham added, "Drivers in Marion County need to know that we are out here to prevent this kind of recklessness. If you drive in this manner, you may end up in jail or even worse, in the hospital or the morgue. Please slow down and help make the roads safer for everyone".
