Speeding motorcyclist pleads guilty

Published 6:15 pm Wednesday, March 19, 2014

by Sequim Gazette staff

A 23-year-old arrested after a high speed motorcycle pursuit July 17 was sentenced to 240 hours of community service after pleading guilty to eluding a police vehicle.

Ryan S. Doherty, of Lakewood, was arrested after he and his friend Spencer S. Phillips, 22, of Steilacoom, ran a red light at the intersection of Carlsborg Road and U.S. Highway 101 then raced away from pursuing police vehicles at speeds of up to 138 mph, police said.

The motorcyclists passed cars at high speeds as a Washington State Patrol trooper pursued them, stopping when Phillips crashed into an oncoming pickup truck.

He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with leg injuries. No one else was injured and Doherty was found by a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy about 40 minutes later.

Charges have not been filed against Phillips.

Doherty was sentenced to 30 days in jail, converted to 240 hours of community service. He also must pay $1,300 in fees and attend a victim impact panel.