By Chris Hagan
Review Staff Writer
A Rochester Hills man is facing a five year felony for something he may have been able to get away with had he not bragged about the incident on social media.
Mike Brown, 33, encountered the Lake Orion Police Department on the morning of July 2, 2016 at about 2:15 a.m. outside of the Sagebrush Cantina on Broadway Street.
Brown was seen on surveillance video aboard his motorcycle and he began brake torquing (doing a burnout).
While his engine was revving and his rear tire smoking, LOPD Officer Brian Martinez was sitting at the traffic light at the intersection of E. Flint and S. Broadway, a block away, and observed Brown on the motorcycle performing a “loud and aggressive brake torque in the street in a reckless manner.”
Officer Martinez activated his emergency lights and pulled next to the motorcycle driver and exited his marked patrol car to affect the traffic stop. Brown sped away on his motorcycle down M-24.
According to Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh, Officer Martinez pursued Brown and observed him run a stop sign at a very high rate of speed onto southbound M-24.
Officer Martinez was unable to locate the motorcycle in less than a half mile from the time the motorcycle entered M-24.
He radioed dispatch that he was no longer in sight of the vehicle and ended the pursuit. There was no additional information obtained on the driver or the cycle.
Had Brown not taken to social media several days later that may have been the end of it.
On July 4, Lake Orion Police investigators received a screen shot image of a Facebook post from a person who claimed he was driving a motorcycle that fled Lake Orion Police, in addition, the post provided information about the crime that, according to Chief Narsh, only the officer and the rider would know. Based on this information, officers located the poster and obtained evidence to connect him to the crime.
The post read:
“OK its been three days (expletive) it I showed up some hardleys at the bar in orion they made noise I took it a step beyond cop seen me put his car right at my foot. Flicked his lights as soon as I heard his car hit park I dropped into gear and disappeared 45 sec. Chase 140 in a 35mph #ftp #nojailthisweekend #everyonelovedit.”
On Tuesday, July 26, 2016, Brown turned himself in to the Lake Orion Police Department and later was arraigned at the 52/3 District Court before Magistrate Marie Soma on one count of Fleeing Police Officer – Third Degree (5 year Felony and/or $1,000.00 fine, and one Count of Reckless Driving (Misdemeanor 93 days and /or $500.00 fine).
Brown was released on a $5,000.00 personal bond with a probable cause hearing scheduled for Tuesday, August 2, 2016 before 52/3 District Judge Julie Nicholson. The Review will be going to print while Brown is at his hearing.
“The single most dangerous thing most people will do every day is get behind the wheel of a car,” Narsh said. “When someone flees from the police or drives in a willful and reckless manner they put us all at risk.”