NEWARK -- Footage of a now infamous traffic stop shows a third speeder was riding with two off-duty law enforcement officers caught going close to 150 mph.
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The Ohio Highway Patrol released the dashboard camera video Friday that shows the amiable encounter -- with plenty of chuckles and back-slapping -- between three motorcyclists and two uniformed patrol troopers in June on Interstate 70 near Buckeye Lake.
Trooper Jason Highsmith, 35, and Gahanna Police Officer Christopher Thomas, 33, are the two identified riders, traveling at 147 mph and 149 mph, respectively, according to their citations, in the 65 mph zone.
Although the video rolls for 14 minutes, the sound apparently is turned off by Granville Post Trooper Bryan Lee shortly after a second on-duty trooper leaves the scene.
The stop occurred June 28, and the tickets for both drivers were filed Monday and Tuesday.
One of the troopers informs the third mystery rider he has eluded radar detection by the patrol plane flying above.
"We didn't get him," the trooper states in the video. "He got lucky."
One of the riders explains why he opened the throttle on his 2008 Kawasaki.
"(The road) opened up and I was like '(expletive) it. I'm gunning it,'" the man said.
Another comment makes reference to Highsmith's then-assignment on the patrol's Motorcycle Unit.
"He's a motorcycle cop, what? How fast was he going?" a voice can be heard saying before letting loose a laugh.
Thomas, who has legal representation, has requested a continuance for his Tuesday arraignment. 10TV reported Thomas has been on paid leave since December after a slip on ice. The city is investigating his disability status, 10TV reported.
Highsmith hired Columbus attorney Samuel Shamansky after pleading not guilty Wednesday to his minor misdemeanor speeding violation, court records show.
Highsmith told Licking County Municipal Court Judge David Branstool he wanted to resolve the case at his initial appearance but changed his mind when the judge told him he would be suspending Highsmith's license upon conviction.
Branstool cited the "relating to reckless operation" clause that can subject a defendant to the same license suspensions that would be applied to someone ticketed for reckless operation even if they were ticketed solely for speed, as were Highsmith and Thomas.
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