A Houstonia man is facing charges after allegedly leading a Pettis County Sheriff's Office deputy on a high-speed pursuit on Tuesday, May 26.
Mykola Shcherbatiuk is charged with aggravated fleeing, operating a vehicle in a careless and imprudent manner, exceeding the speed limit by 26 miles per hour or more and operating a motorcycle without a driver’s license.
Court documents indicate officers attempted to stop two motorcycles in the area of U.S. Highway 65 and U.S. Highway 50 at approximately 11 p.m. The motorcycles continued southbound on U.S. 65 Highway, with speeds reaching approximately 115 miles per hour.
Due to the speed, the deputy’s supervisor advised them to end the pursuit. Court documents say the deputy lost sight of a motorcycle radared at speeds of over 127 miles per hour, but observed the second slowing to 30 to 40 miles per hour before turning onto 32nd Street towards Highway B.
As the deputy deactivated their sirens, they observed the second motorcycle strike a curb before laying the motorcycle down and crashing.
Upon requesting EMS, the deputy observed a man standing near the crash scene and asked them to sit down. While speaking with the deputy, Shcherbatiuk uttered he fled due to not having a motorcycle permit.
Court documents say EMS transported Shcherbatiuk to Bothwell Regional Health Center for a fit for confinement before being transported to the Pettis County Jail.
He is being held there on a $25,000 bond.
