Quote from: www.timesunion.com Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Police gather to mourn trooper
By WILLIAM KATES, Associated Press
Last updated: 3:06 p.m., Wednesday, April 26, 2006
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- State police will bury a fallen trooper Thursday without knowing the identity of the speeding motorcyclist he was chasing when he crashed his patrol vehicle
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Investigators have interviewed several people but filed no charges in the crash involving Trooper Craig Todeschini, said Trooper Jack Keller, a state police spokesman.
On Wednesday, state police said they were looking for anyone who yielded the right of way to a state police vehicle on a highway near the county prison earlier Sunday. Keller declined to elaborate and would only say it was connected to the investigation.
Todeschini, 25, was killed Sunday evening when his police SUV slammed into a tree as he tried to pursue the biker through the hamlet of Pompey Hill, 15 miles south of Syracuse. The motorcycle was going more than 100 mph when Todeschini and other witnesses saw it.
Todeschini was traveling in the opposite direction when he first saw the motorcycle and could not describe it because it was going so fast. The trooper crashed less than two minutes after radioing in to report the biker.
Police continue to investigate the cause of the crash. They have not said how fast Todeschini was traveling when he crashed.
Besides speeding, police have said charges against the motorcyclist will depend on what the investigation determines and whether the biker knew about the trooper's accident.
More than 2,000 law enforcement officers from throughout the state were expected to attend Todeschini's funeral, Keller said. Family, friends and hundreds of troopers gathered at the Holy Family Church Thursday night for calling hours.
Todeschini was a second-generation policeman. His father retired as a sergeant in the Geddes Police Department. He had been a trooper for three years and was stationed with Troop D in Lafayette. The younger Todeschini also was had an impact on younger sister Lindsay, who is entering a police academy and eventually hopes to work for the Syracuse Police Department.
Peggy Timmons was one of Todeschini's teachers at West Genesee High School. They were close enough that he listed her as a character reference for interviews to get into the police academy.
"He was a fun-loving young man. He liked to have a good time but still got the work done," Timmons said. "He had a real strong sense of community."
Todeschini is survived by his wife of two years, who is expecting a baby girl next month, and a 6-year-old stepson.
I passed two road blocks today. They were pulling over every biker and checking license, registration, dot blinkers, reflectors, exhuasts, and every other little things they could think of. It's not going to be fun here for a while.
Dude that sucks. Hope it blows over soon so you don't have to worry about popo's singling you out.
I aint bailing you out of the slammer.
I am only about 60+ miles outta Syracuse. I was actually thinking of riding up that way in a few weeks till I heard about this. Some of the guys I've ridden with before from another site are from around the Syracuse area, sucks to be them even more!
NYS Police are already pretty strict about a lot of things and LOVE harassing motorists. Visitors to NYS have probably noticed this as it is. It will blow over like everything else, but it will take time.
Too bad it had to happen though.
wow. it does suck to ride in NY these days...
So, if I were to visit NY, and I get thrown in jail... Do I get any conjugal visits?
And in these conjugal visits... Would there be any sex? :laugh: :cheers:
Sorry.... I just finished watching OFFICE SPACE again
Quote from: annguyen1981 on April 27, 2006, 09:37:37 PM
So, if I were to visit NY, and I get thrown in jail... Do I get any conjugal visits?
And in these conjugal visits... Would there be any sex? :laugh: :cheers:
Sorry.... I just finished watching OFFICE SPACE again
Yeah.. conjugal visits.. but you're going to federal PMITA prison! So your conjugal visit will consist of playing "catch" with big bubba in the shower! :laugh:
so if i'm speeding, and a cop decides to pursue me... isn't he speeding too? :thumb:
oh yeah, the law protects them. they are doing the right thing while im doing the wrong thing. winners make the rules and loser follow them. and... what was the last one? oh yeah, winners write the history books, so in reality who knows what actually happened.
Yeah that's sad, but what the f%$k was he thinking chasing a bike with an SUV? Use your radio, you can't outrun bikes, you have to out smart them.
Thats awful for the cop. I've got a few friends who graduated from his high school and are only 3 years younger, I wonder if they knew him.
Of course, try to chase a good biker while driving an SUV along most of the roads in CNY isn't going to be very effective either. I don't know that road in particular but most of them around that area are small and twisty.
I grew up in the next town over from where this happened.
That area has a lot of country farm type roads, very easy to run off the road when coming up to an unmarked bend in the road.
That NYS trooper should not have tried to chase anyone in that area with an SUV.
Yes he did see someone braking the law but he should have evaluated the situation.
1) This was a motorcycle that was speeding.
2) He was driving a SUV.
3) He is not from the area and does not know the roads.
4) Was there any other serious crime committed (murder).
He should have called it in and ask for backup in the area and not try to be the hero by catching this guy.
Yes I do feel sorry for him and his family.
As you can tell I have a low opinion of NYS police, since the past Gov asked them to write more tickets to balance the budget a few years ago.
What it the point of harassing every motorcycle rider in the state for the poor decision that the cop made.
k
A 25 year old cop that had been on the force 3 years made a rookie mistake that cost him his life.
We'll never know if the biker baited him, or if the biker never even saw the cop :dunno_white: Its a bad situation that gives sportbikers a black eye again...