A Lebanon County man was charged with drunken driving after police said he sped through Mount Aetna on a high-powered electric bike without lights Saturday night, clocked at more than 50 mph.
Abram J.M. Kemble, 24, of Myerstown was arrested Saturday by Tulpehocken Township police and charged with drunken driving, fleeing police, driving an unregistered vehicle, speeding and driving without headlamps.
He was free on $25,000 bail following arraignment Sunday before District Judge F. Richard Drumheller in Reading Central Court.
According to court records:
Officer John Guacci was conducting speed enforcement at Lancaster Avenue and Chloe Drive about 8 p.m. when he clocked Kemble’s northbound bike at just over 51 mph. The speed limit is 35 mph.
He followed the bike on Lancaster Avenue, which is Route 501, as Kemble turned right onto Deck Road, then turned on his emergency lights and siren.
Kemble stopped at the intersection with Ketterman Hill Road, but as the officer approached, Kemble took off on the bike before wiping out at Deck and Bordner roads.
As Guacci handcuffed Kemble he smelled alcohol on his breath and noticed his eyes were glassy and bloodshot. Six bottles of beer were in the rider’s backpack.
In Pennsylvania, an e-bike doesn’t have to be registered as long as isn’t generally able to be driven over 20 mph with motor assistance, has a motor no more powerful than 750 watts, and weighs no more than 100 pounds.
Heavier, more powerful E-bikes are classified as motor-driven cycles, or mopeds, and must be registered.