Dustin Martin Berry
Yellow Creek – It covered nearly 19 miles of Graham County roads, reached speeds of 110 miles per hour and frightened countless travelers Monday afternoon.
After spotting a blacked-out motorcycle with no visible license plate, Graham County Deputy Chase Hughes attempted to initiate a traffic stop around the 2500 block of Tallulah Road on Monday, but the two-wheeled driver opted to ignore the order. By the time the chase reached the Airport Road/U.S. 129 intersection, the motorcycle had already reached 110 miles per hour.
The driver – Dustin Martin Berry, 46 of Marietta, Ga. – showed no signs of slowing down, continuing on U.S. 129 North through Robbinsville and Santeetlah. Berry then veered onto Yellow Creek Road, consistently maintaining speeds of 70-75 miles per hour. Officers and dispatch stayed in constant communication throughout the pursuit, even contacting Blount County, Tenn., authorities on the chance Berry made it to the Tail of the Dragon outside Swain County.
Instead, Berry’s 18.9-mile run ended within the 6600 block of Yellow Creek Road, as he was ejected from the bike and landed on the right side of the road. The bike skidded to a halt on the left and Berry allegedly told authorities that he was a government official with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration).
Miraculously, Berry only suffered a fractured ankle in the incident and was taken to Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva for treatment.
Berry was then taken in by Jackson County authorities and issued a $10,000 bond, before being returned to Graham County late Monday night.
At press time, the only charge delivered to Berry was flee/elude arrest with a motor vehicle, a felony.
He bonded out early-Tuesday morning.