Published on Wednesday, March 15, 2006
in the Hernando Today

Man arrested in two-county chase

RIDGE MANOR — A Monday morning chase that started in Pasco County ended peacefully with an arrest on State Road 50 near the I-75 ramp.

The arrest was due to the teamwork of troopers on the ground and in the air.

About 9 a.m. Monday, troopers were conducting a traffic detail on I-75 where an FHP plane circling the area of I-75 and State Road 52 would clock northbound speeders and troopers on the ground would pull them over.

As they did this exercise, FHP pilot Sgt. Mike Cenden spotted Patrick Plowman, 22, of Port Richey, headed north on a 2005 Suzuki Sport Bike at 95 miles per hour. The posted speed limit was 70 miles per hour, according to an FHP news release.

Trooper Larry Kraus was on the ground and tried to stop Plowman, but he only accelerated as he tried to get away. Troopers would later find out that Plowman’s license was suspended.

For the safety of other drivers on the road, Kraus did not get into a high-speed chase with the suspect. Instead, he had Cenden follow Plowman from the air. As he did, Cenden saw Plowman cutting in and out of traffic, improperly passing and accelerating at speeds up to 150 miles per hour, the release states.

Plowman was apparently unaware that FHP was using a plane to keep track of his location. He exited the interstate at State Road 50 in Hernando County and turned into the parking lot of Hi-Tech Trucking at 6179 Nature Coast Blvd.

Led by Cenden in the sky, troopers on the ground went to the parking lot and arrested Plowman on charges of aggravated fleeing to elude a law enforcement officer, reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license, violation of probation and habitual driving with a suspended license. They also seized Plowman’s sport bike.

He was booked into the Hernando County Jail, where his bond was set at $13,000.