Cecil man arrested after chase
A Cecil Township motorcyclist was arrested Tuesday morning after allegedly leading state police on a chase on Interstate 79.
Matthew Tyler Chauvet, 24, of 314 Grange Road, McDonald, was taken into custody after he reportedly crashed into the side of a police lieutenant’s unmarked cruiser after getting off the highway at the Houston exit.
State police Lt. Daniel Hines was traveling south on I-79 between the Southpointe and Canonsburg exits just after 6 a.m. when he looked in his rearview mirror and noticed a motorcycle approaching quickly from behind. Hines said he accelerated to about 70 mph, but the motorcycle continued to close in.
The lieutenant, in court documents, indicated he believed the rider, later identified as Chauvet, slowed after recognizing it was a police vehicle he was approaching.
After Chauvet passed, Hines activated the emergency lights and siren. Chauvet allegedly accelerated and started to pull away from the trooper.
At one point during the pursuit, Hines said he saw Chauvet pass a group of vehicles in both lanes of the highway by driving between them. Hines said he looked at his speedometer and noted he was going in excess of 110 mph.
Chauvet got off at the Houston exit, passing a car on the right side while on the ramp. After going through the stop sign, he turned right and started going south in the northbound lane, police said.
Chauvet appeared to be attempting to turn into a parking lot, and Hines also moved to pull into the lot. The motorcycle hit the left side of the cruiser and tipped over, police said.
Chauvet reportedly told Hines that he was trying to get to work, but he made some bad decisions.
Chauvet was arraigned before District Judge James Ellis on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude police, careless driving, reckless driving, failure to drive at a safe speed, having an improper class of license and several other violations. He was released on his own recognizance. A preliminary hearing is set for May 13 before District Judge Jay Weller.