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CONTACT: Jonathan Harms 605.347.2685

Highway Patrol Sturgis Rally Daily Information

Below are the statistics as of 6 a.m. Thursday August 07, 2014

Injury Crashes:

Michael H. John, 63, of Centerville, Ohio, was driving a 2013 Ford Explorer on U.S. Highway 14A, four miles east of Deadwood, S.D. He was stopped at the intersection of U.S. Highway 14A and Larkspur Rd. Jack Dale Good Jr., 50, of Shawnee, Okla., was driving a 1980 Yamaha Motorcycle west on U.S. Highway 14A when John pulled onto the highway and failed to yield to the motorcycle. As a result, Good Jr., struck the driver’s side front fender. Good Jr. was flown to a hospital in Rapid City with serious non-life threatening injuries. He was wearing a helmet. John was not injured in the crash; he was wearing a seatbelt. John had a passenger in his vehicle named Peter James Motza, 50, of Miamisburg, Ohio. Motza was not injured.

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Michael Joseph Barker, 62, of Saint Cloud, Fla., was making a left turn to travel north on U.S. Highway 85 from S.D. Highway 34 near Belle Fourche, S.D. Diesel fuel was spilled at the intersection and the back tire slid on the roadway because of the fuel. The motorcycle tipped over onto its left side. Barker’s passenger, Pamela S. Robinson, 59, of Saint Cloud, Fla., was transported to a hospital in Spearfish with minor injuries. Barker was not injured in the crash. Neither person was wearing a helmet.

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Mark Thomas McWaters, 61, of Longwood, Fla., was driving a 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle east on Interstate 90, five miles east of Mitchell. He was in the passing lane behind a 2008 Pontiac Vibe driven by Philipo Stevano Deleo, 67, of Gibbon, Minn., and two unknown pickups pulling trailers. The pickups with trailers abruptly slowed on the Interstate and used the center median crossover to turn around and begin traveling west on Interstate 90. As a result of the slowing pickups and trailers, Deleo abruptly slowed his vehicle to avoid a rear-end collision which then caused McWaters to abruptly brake his motorcycle. McWaters’s collided into the rear bumper of Deleo’s vehicle and his motorcycle laid down on its side. McWater’s was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered minor injuries. He was wearing a helmet. Deleo did not suffer injuries. He was wearing a seatbelt. The two pickups and trailers have not been located.

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Jeremiah Melvin West, 28, of Bismarck, N.D., was driving a 2013 Victory Highball motorcycle north on U.S. Highway 85 near Belle Fourche. He lost control of the motorcycle and laid it down due to a group of motorcycle riders failing to yield while making a U-turn at the intersection. The group of motorcycles did not stay at the scene of the crash. West sustained minor injuries in the crash. He was wearing a helmet.

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A minor from Veblen, S.D., was driving a 1990 Chevrolet Blazer eastbound on 103^rd St., one mile north of Veblen, S.D. He failed to yield for a yield sign, crossed 446^th Ave., and struck a 1998 Kenworth semi-truck driven northbound on 446^th Ave., by Durwood C. Macconnell, 45, of Sisseton, S.D.  The minor’s SUV rolled over onto its roof in the ditch. The minor was not wearing a seatbelt and sustained minor injuries in the crash. A minor passenger in the vehicle also was not wearing a seatbelt; he received minor injuries in the crash. Macconnell was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash.

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Timothy Allan Penton, 58, of Spearfish, S.D., was driving a 2006 Harley Davidson FLSTCI southbound on U.S. Highway 85 on the north edge of Spearfish. He crossed the Interstate 90 exit 10 interchange and continued driving north. A motorcycle failed to yield to him at the stop sign and turned in front of Penton which caused him to lose control of his motorcycle to avoid a collision. His motorcycle was laid down as a result. Penton received minor injuries in the crash. He was wearing a helmet. His passenger, Lisa Ann Penton, 57, of Spearfish, was not injured. The motorcycle that failed to yield left the scene of the crash.

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Michael A. Torres, 55, of Hatbora, Pa., was driving a 2008 Harley Davidson Motorcycle south on U.S. Highway 85. Behind him was a 2009 Harley Davidson Fleet Ultra Classic driven by Alexander Antkowiak, 48, of Hatbora. A northbound Dodge pickup crossed into the southbound lane and impacted the driver’s side mirror of Torres’s motorcycle and left side of Antkowiak’s motorcycle. Torres was able to stay in control of the motorcycle and come to a stop. He was uninjured. Antkowiak was unable to maintain control of the motorcycle due to the collision. His motorcycle laid on its side and slid across the roadway coming to a rest on the north shoulder of the road. He sustained serious non-life threatening injuries from the crash. The Dodge pickup, described as a late 80s or early 90s, two-tone Red and Silver flatbed truck, left the scene of the crash. The fleeing Dodge pickup will have left bumper damage with a possible blue scrape mark or chrome slivers in the front bumper due to the collision with Antkowiak’s motorcycle.

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Carlos Alexandre Narcisco, 51, of Londrina, Brazil, was driving a 2013 Harley Davidson Electra Glide northbound on S.D. Highway 244 near Horse Thief Lake, four miles north of Mt. Rushmore. A vehicle ahead of him was slowing to turn into the parking lot for the lake. As Narcisco slowed while leaning into a curve, he began to fishtail on a wet road. The motorcycle tipped over and he received serious non-life threatening injuries. A passenger, Claudia Maria Narcisco, 35, of Londrina, sustained minor injuries in the crash.

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Thomas Vo, 26, of Richland, Wash., was driving a 2005 Chevrolet Trailblazer east on Interstate 90 near mile marker 67 east of Rapid City, S.D. He swerved and then over-corrected which sent the vehicle into a fish-tail. Vo’s vehicle ran off the roadway and into the south ditch where it rolled one and a half times coming to a rest on its top. Vo was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured in the crash.

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Brian Roy Morita, 52, of Vancouver, B.C., was driving a 2010 Harley Davidson Sportster 883 east on S.D. Highway 248 near Murdo, S.D. As he attempted a left turn onto VanMeter Rd., he struck a patch of gravel which caused the motorcycle to skid sideways and land on its left side. Morita was wearing a helmet and sustained minor injuries in the crash.

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John J. Chynesky, 59, of Monroeville, N.J., was driving a 2006 Harley Davidson FLH north on S.D. Highway 44 near Johnson Siding. Several deer entered the roadway and crossed in front of him. He locked up the rear brake which caused the motorcycle to slide sideways and roll. Chynesky and passenger, Glenda Chynesky, 58, of Monroeville, were thrown from the motorcycle. Both sustained serious non-life threatening injuries in the crash. They were not wearing helmets.

Other Noteworthy Items:

A small grass fire occurred on the north shoulder of Interstate 90 near exit eight near Spearfish, S.D. The Spearfish Fire Department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. Northern Hills Fire assisted with the fire. The cause of the fire is not known.

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A vehicle was stopped within Sturgis City Limits by the Division of Criminal Investigation. The agent was suspicious of drug use and requested the assistance of a South Dakota Highway Patrol Drug Recognition Expert (DRE). The driver failed a field sobriety test and consented to a search of the vehicle which produced methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The driver was arrested.

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A vehicle was stopped for speeding near exit 10 on Interstate 90 near Spearfish, S.D. An odor of raw marijuana was detected coming from the vehicle and the driver admitted to possession of it. A search revealed an empty container lying on the side of the road where the marijuana had previously been stored, and a green film in the driver’s mouth indicating marijuana had been ingested. Additionally, marijuana paraphernalia was found.

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A vehicle was stopped for having an inoperable left tail light. Indicators of drug activity were suspected in the vehicle and a search was granted. In the vehicle was found methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The driver failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for DUI. Two passengers were also arrested. The vehicle and $2,442 in currency were seized and are pending asset forfeiture through the Attorney General’s Office.

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A motorcycle was stopped in Sturgis for an improper right turn. As contact was made with the driver, a white powdery substance started to appear from the driver’s right nostril. He admitted the substance was cocaine and field test indicated this was correct. The driver was arrested for DUI and the motorcycle is pending asset forfeiture proceedings with the Attorney General’s Office.

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