Motorcyclist killed in high-speed crash
Matthew L. Jones, 45, was killed in a high speed motorcycle accident in Liberty Lake just before 1:30 a.m. on July 4.
Police received several calls reporting that a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed had crashed at Mission Avenue and Signal Drive, and the rider was not getting up, said Liberty Lake Police Chief Brian Asmus. When officers arrived they saw a motorcycle with the handlebars completely torn off in a field on the northwest corner of the intersection, Asmus said. Jones was found unresponsive near a crosswalk in the intersection. The rider was wearing a helmet but had extensive head trauma, he said.
The accident is under investigation by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. Jones was heading west on Mission, which curves at Signal, said Detective Jack Rosenthal. “The driver just went straight,” Rosenthal said. “He hit the curb directly, and it launched him airborne.”
Jones hit a pole at the corner of the intersection, and the motorcycle continued on into the field, he said. Investigators are awaiting the results of toxicology reports to see if the man was under the influence, Rosenthal said. The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s office said that Jones died as a result of his head injuries.
A resident called police July 3 to report that her daughter had been followed by an ex-boyfriend who rammed her car with his own. A recommendation for an assault charge has been forwarded to the prosecutor, Asmus said. A resident in the 25000 block of East Hawkstone Loop called police on July 6 to report that a man had offered her young child a soda, but the man could not be located.
A bicycle was found in the 100 block of North McKinzie Drive on Saturday. Two wallets were found and returned to their owners.
During the week of July 1-8 police made six arrests for driving with a suspended license and two for driving under the influence. They handed out four citations for failure to show proof of liability insurance, two for defective muffler and two for speeding. Additional citations were given for parking in a no-parking zone, failure to transfer ownership, driving without a license with identification and driving with wheels off the road.