A naked man riding motorcycle during winter weather has been charged with a traffic violation and two misdemeanors after leading police on a chase through Searcy that ended when a state trooper's car collided with the motorbike, according to information from the Searcy Police Department. At least part of the chase was caught on police video.
Christopher A. Clark, 35, of Searcy has been cited for no vehicle license, indecent exposure and fleeing after the Jan. 26 incident. Arkansas State Police officials were involved, but are not releasing reports on the incident, saying it is the subject of an ongoing investigation.
Jerry Cruise of Searcy witnessed the chase, according to the report.
“I was stopped at the intersection of Main Street and Highway 267 when they came by,” Cruise said. “He was naked as a jaybird and it was kind of sleeting.”
The Searcy Police Department has released a report showing the chase ended at 4:30 p.m.
“I was provided with a video from the dash camera of trooper Tony Bowman's police car that indicated the following,” Searcy officer Rachel Smith wrote in the report. “Operator Bowman was traveling south on Skyline Drive, approaching its intersection with Weatherstone. Operator Clark was traveling directly in front of Bowman. Clark failed to yield to Bowman's emergency lights and sirens, fleeing. Clark stopped abruptly in the roadway several times, almost causing a collision with Bowman. Clark began accelerating after being stopped in the roadway and then stopped again abruptly, causing Bowman to collide with the rear of his vehicle.”
Road conditions were wet at the time, Smith reported, and the accident happened near the crest of a hill and near an intersection.
The accident report is blank in areas designed for reporting safety equipment used by Clark, such as a helmet, ejection from the motorcycle and injuries he sustained. Smith reported there were no contributing factors in the accident, including drugs, alcohol and careless/prohibited driving, although there was rain on Bowman's windshield.
The report estimated damage to Bowman's 2006 Dodge Charger at $3,000 and to Clark's 2007 Honda 600 motorcycle at $500. Places on the report showing whether Clark or Bowman were transported to the hospital were left blank.
Clark is scheduled to appear before White County District Court, Searcy Division, Judge Mark Pate April 2 for an arraignment.