A 20-year-old Riverhead man driving a stolen ATV was arrested after leading police on a two-mile, low-speed chase through Riverhead last night, according to Riverhead Police.
A patrol officer saw a man operating an ATV on the street in the area of Roanoke Avenue and Southern Parkway just before 9 p.m., police said. When the officer attempted to stop the operator — with the patrol unit’s lights and siren activated — the ATV operator turned and fled in the opposite direction, eastbound on Southern Parkway, according to police.
The ATV operator, whom police identified as Antonio T. Reeder Jr., led police on a low-speed pursuit east on Elton Street, then east onto East Main Street, continuing east across Route 25 and then north onto Doctors Path, according to the police report.
Reeder ditched the ATV near the PSEGLI facility on Doctors Path and took off on foot into a wooded area north of PSEGLI, police said.
Police said Riverhead K-9 and assisting patrol units set a perimeter around the wooded area and located the operator of the ATV hiding in the woods.
The ATV Reeder was operating was reported stolen by its registered owner in September, police said.
Reeder was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and multiple New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law violations. He was processed and held for morning arraignment.
Editor’s note: A criminal charge is an accusation. By law, a person charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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