Friday, November 7th, 2008
Celina man charged for doing doughnuts on courthouse lawn
By Shelley Grieshop
A 20-year-old Celina man who was arrested Election Day for allegedly doing doughnuts with a four-wheeler on the courthouse lawn, also has been charged with recklessly fleeing officers on a motorcycle last month.
Scott H. Spears appeared in Celina Municipal Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to: fleeing and eluding and two counts of driving under suspension, all first-degree misdemeanors; criminal mischief and operating an ATV on the roadway, both third-degree misdemeanors; and willful and wanton disregard for safety, a minor misdemeanor.
Spears was released from jail after posting a recognizance bond. A pretrial hearing is set for Dec. 10.
The charges were filed by the Celina Police Department and the Mercer County Sheriff's Office, who both investigated the incident on Tuesday.
At 7:36 p.m. Tuesday, a sheriff's deputy witnessed a man doing doughnuts on the Mercer County Courthouse lawn, however, the suspect was not located. About 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, Celina police received a call about a four-wheeler being operated in the Main Street area.
The vehicle was pursued west of town but disappeared in a rural area. Later, a sheriff's deputy was called to the area and arrested Spears walking along Monroe Road. Nick, the police department's K-9 officer, was brought to the scene and led law enforcement to the abandoned four-wheel vehicle in a nearby ditch, the report said.
Spears was taken into custody and charged.
During the subsequent investigation, officers located a motorcycle they believe Spears was operating during a high-speed chase on Oct. 2. Officers lost the motorcycle on a rural road.
During an interview this week with officers, Spears reportedly confessed to being the motorcycle operator in the October pursuit.
That high-speed chase began at 12:28 a.m. Oct. 2 when officers allegedly attempted to stop a suspect who was doing doughnuts in front of Celina City Hall. Police say it was Spears who fled the downtown area and led several law enforcement cruisers on a chase northwest of the city. Spears is accused of driving through a roadblock at Miller and Weitz roads, heading north onto Weitz Road and turning west on Oregon Road at a high rate of speed.
