A Bethlehem Township man is facing charges after police say he fled from officers who tried to stop him for allegedly traveling at 60 mph on a motorcycle in a posted 25 mph speed limit zone on Easton Road in Hellertown.
According to a Hellertown Police Department news release, officers tried to stop 24-year-old Austin Scott Moyer as he rode a red Honda motorcycle through the borough shortly before 7 p.m. on May 20.
The Hellertown Police Department serves the Borough of Hellertown (FILE PHOTO)
In a criminal complaint filed in Northampton County District Court 03-2-04 Monday, police said Moyer operated the motorcycle “at a high rate of speed during the evening hours on a pleasant, sunny day in a populated urban area past two active public parks.”
Court records stated that police pursued Moyer after he was allegedly timed in a measured .019 mile speed zone by an officer equipped with a ROBIC speed timing device; a type of speedometer local police departments are authorized to use in Pennsylvania.
Hellertown Police said that after their initial attempt to stop Moyer near Easton Road and Morningstar Lane, he allegedly “eluded two separate traffic stop attempts.”
However, officers checking the area where Moyer was last seen were “able to overtake” him in the 1000 block of Fox Street, the news release said.
Fox Alley runs between New Jersey and Detweiler avenues, east of Easton Road and south of Apple Street.
Following his arrest, Hellertown Police said Moyer was taken to Northampton County Prison on a probation detainer.
According to court records, Moyer in February pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor 3 charge of Disorderly Conduct in a Bethlehem Township case in which he was sentenced to a maximum of six months of probation by Court of Common Pleas Judge Patricia Broscius.
He is currently free on $25,000 unsecured bail, according to the docket for his case.
Moyer is charged with misdemeanor 2 Fleeing or Attempting to Elude an Officer, misdemeanor 3 Disorderly Conduct, two summary speeding charges and the summary charges of Operating a Vehicle Without Required Financial Responsibility, Operating a Vehicle Without Proper Inspection, Driving an Unregistered Vehicle, Careless Driving and Reckless Driving.
His preliminary arraignment on those charges was held Thursday afternoon at the district court in Lower Saucon Township.
A preliminary hearing for Moyer is scheduled for Tuesday, July 6 at 2:45 p.m. in front of District Judge Alan Mege in District Court 03-2-04, according to the docket.
Court records list Richard P. Coble of the Philadelphia law firm of van der Veen, O’Neill, Hartshorn & Levin as Moyer’s criminal defense attorney.
Note: All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This story was compiled using information from the Hellertown Police Department and court documents from Northampton County.
