ST. GEORGE — A Santa Clara man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly leading officers from two agencies on a vehicle pursuit followed by a foot chase that ended with a trip to jail Tuesday night.
At about 10 p.m. a Santa Clara-Ivins Police officer observed a motorcycle heading east on Old Highway 91 at 102 mph, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest. The posted speed limit on that stretch of the highway is 40 mph.
The officer got behind the bike with lights and sirens activated, but instead of pulling over, the rider, identified as Ren Robinson, 22, continued on at a high rate of speed with the officer in pursuit, the statement said.
A deputy with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was heading west on the highway when he spotted the eastbound bike and made a U-turn to assist.
During the chase, police say the rider crossed over the double-yellow lines while passing slower vehicles and nearly struck a number of cars traveling in the opposite direction.
The report says “the driver’s actions showed wanton disregard for other’s safety and (he) almost hit multiple vehicle head-on.”
The pursuit was terminated at that point for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, a witness reported seeing the motorcycle turn on Lava Flow Lane heading south toward Country Lane where Robinson reportedly lives.
Once the defendant saw police he allegedly dumped the bike and started running until one of the officers caught up to Robinson and tackled him.
The defendant continued to wrestle with the officer until backup arrived and he was handcuffed and taken into custody before being transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility on several offenses, according to the probable cause statement.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office Wednesday filed one third-degree felony charge of failing to stop at command of police and one misdemeanor charge of failing to stop at the command of law enforcement, which was downgraded from the felony offense proposed in the probable cause statement.
He also faces two class B misdemeanor charges for reckless driving and interfering with an arresting officer, and was charged for driving with the wrong class of license, an infraction.
Robinson was being held on $10,000 bail and then released Wednesday afternoon. He is scheduled to appear Friday in 5th District Court in St. George.
This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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