A Norristown man is facing charges after he allegedly lead police on a brief pursuit before crashing his motorcycle on Morris Road in early September.
According to the criminal complaint, Towamencin Township Police were patrolling the area of the Towamencin Fire Company at 8:09 p.m. on Sept. 1 when they observed a motorcycle traveling with no functional taillights. Police attempted to initiate a traffic stop near the intersection of Bustard and Old Morris roads, but the vehicle accelerated and fled the scene, the report states.
A brief police pursuit ensued, but ultimately police terminated the pursuit for safety reasons. A short time later, police noticed a fresh, single skid mark in the area of the 3300 block of Morris Road, and found the motorcycle and its operator—identified as 37-year-old James Walker—crashed in the nearby woods, according to the report.
Walker suffered multiple serious injuries as a result of the crash, including a deep laceration to his face, head trauma, a “severe chest injury” and a dislocated left arm, police said. Walker was airlifted from the scene and taken to Jefferson University Hospital for treatment of his injuries, according to the report.
The report states that due to a high volume of priority calls that evening, police were unable to get to Jefferson University Hospital to request a blood sample until shortly after 11 p.m. Walker reportedly complied, and the sample taken from three-hours after the crash came back with a blood-alcohol content of .118-percent, the report states.
As a result of the incident, Walker has been charged with one felony count of fleeing from police, and two misdemeanor counts of DUI. Additionally, summary charges of driving an unregistered vehicle, driving on a suspended license, careless driving, reckless driving, driving at safe speed, duties at a stop sign, driving without insurance and driving with no rear lights were filed against Walker.
Walker was arraigned on Oct. 4 by Magisterial District Judge Albert Augustine, who set bail at $1,000 unsecured. He was then released from custody, and his next court appearance is a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine on Nov. 18 at 1:15 p.m.
(Editor’s note: All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause, and reflects the point of view of the police. Should the defendant choose to issue a public statement, or is later found not guilty or has the charges dropped, we will update this article accordingly.)
See also:
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Lansdale Man Arrested On Strangulation, Child Endangerment Charges
Duo Caught In Hotel Room With Money, Drugs And Stolen Handgun: Police
