A pursuit of a motorcycle Friday afternoon in Christian County ended with a crash on Madisonville road.
Kentucky State Trooper Michael Dennis observed a motorcycle operated by 22-year old Jack Kao of Fort Campbell headed northbound on the Pennyrile Parkway at a high rate of speed just before 3 p.m. and attempted to make a traffic stop.
Kao allegedly failed to yield and accelerated, taking Exit 11 onto the Bypass, where Trooper Dennis lost sight of the motorcycle.
Christian County sheriff’s deputies located the motorcycle and the pursuit continued onto several roadways before making its way onto Madisonville Road.
Sheriff Tyler DeArmond stopped his police vehicle on Old Madisonville Road in an attempt to bring the pursuit to an end and was pinned between his door and the vehicle when Kao struck the door. Sheriff DeArmond was checked out at the Jennie Stuart Medical Center later in the afternoon for minor injuries.
Deputy Constable Johnny Colon was never in pursuit of the motorcycle, but he attempted to assist by blocking Kao from making it to the construction zone on Madisonville Road after Kao made a u-turn to head south. He activated his blue lights and stopped in the left lane of travel, according to Lt. Jason Newby of the sheriff’s department.
Newby says Kao attempted to get around Colon’s cruiser by going between it and the guard rail and collided with the front of the vehicle. Kao was ejected from his motorcycle and had to be flown by Air Evac to Skyline Medical Center in Nashville for leg injuries.
Deputy Constable Colon was also checked out at Jennie Stuart.
Colon’s cruiser rolled into a guard rail after he exited the cruiser on foot with the car still in gear.
Kentucky State Police charged Kao with five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment, fleeing or evading police and other counts related to the pursuit. Lt. Newby says the sheriff’s department will bring additional felony counts.
