Wild electric scooter ride lands Elko man in jail

ELKO – An Elko man was booked into jail this week with bail listed at $100,000 after being arrested on a warrant accusing him of eluding police on an electric scooter.

Leif R. Hindes, 23, was charged in a criminal complaint with felony eluding a police officer in a manner posing danger to others.

The arresting officer reported seeing Hindes on July 5 speeding through the downtown area on an upright scooter, failing to yield to traffic, and cutting in front of his patrol vehicle.

The scooter was spotted awhile later going over the Fifth Street Bridge at an estimated 35 mph, weaving in and out of traffic during the evening rush hour.

Later still, the officer saw Hindes on Lamoille Highway driving an estimated 45 mph. That’s when he attempted to pull it over, but the scooter continued on 12th Street past Metzler Road before finally coming to a stop.

Hindes reportedly told the officer that the brakes on his scooter were not functioning properly and he couldn’t stop.

The officer told Hindes he was going to impound his scooter. Hindes said he was not. The officer again said he was, at which time Hindes rolled the throttle on his handlebar and sped away.

The officer said Hindes cut across heavy traffic on 12th Street and onto the sidewalk leading to the Riverwalk. That’s where he was last seen.

The Elko District Attorney’s Office filed a complaint on July 25, and Hindes was arrested Tuesday.

Jail records indicate Hindes was last arrested in August 2021 for failure to appear after bail on a felony crime and failure to appear after bail on a misdemeanor crime.

He had been arrested in May 2021 for felony possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia.

On Sunday, April 2, Parisians voted in a referendum to ban e-scooters from the capital's streets by an overwhelming majority. Turnout for the consultation however was estimated at less than 8%. Paris's mayor Anne Hidalgo said she would enforce the result.

Hindes

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