May 21, 2015 2 min read

A Washington man went for a wild ride on his dirt bike Wednesday, dodging cars on Jefferson Avenue and cutting through residents’ yards to avoid the officers who were trailing behind him, city police said.

Edwin Rivera, 23, of 716 W. Chestnut St., successfully eluded police Wednesday afternoon, but was caught and arrested later that day. He was arraigned by District Judge James Ellis on charges of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, reckless and careless driving, and driving without a license, registration, inspection and required financial responsibility. He was taken to Washington County jail on a $5,000 bond.

Police attempted to stop Rivera at about 3 p.m. when he was spotted riding a dirt bike on the sidewalk in the 600 block of Jefferson Avenue, which is not permitted in the city. When police activated their lights, Rivera allegedly started to drive in the opposing lane of traffic and was nearly struck by a vehicle.

Police said he continued to drive north and turned right onto Cortez Drive, then drove through a field and several residential yards. Officers lost sight of him, but they were able to track him down later. Andrew Beno, of the 1900 block of Jefferson Avenue, told police a man he didn’t know matching Rivera’s description left a dirt bike in his yard.

Police said the motorcycle was not stolen, but the original owner claimed that Rivera shortchanged him when it was sold. As a result, the title of the dirt bike was never transferred.