Autauga BOE candidate found guilty in Prattville police high speed chase
PRATTVILLE — A candidate for the Autauga County Board of Education has been found guilty of a misdemeanor in connection with a high-speed chase with Prattville police where speeds reached more than 110 mph.
Prattville Municipal Court Judge Louis Colley on Wednesday afternoon found Ell White II guilty of attempting to elude a police officer and reckless driving. White had a trial in municipal court Aug. 24, but Colley delayed his decision so he could have time to review dash and body camera footage from officers.
Colley handed down a six-month suspended jail sentence, a six-month suspension of White's driver's license and he ordered White to pay a total of $2,137 in fines and court costs.
White, 50, of Prattville is a retired Army major. He is the Democratic candidate in the open BOE District 3 post. He did not return a text message seeking comment for this story.
Colley, usually a reserved jurist, had hard words for White before he handed down his verdict. During the Aug. 24 hearing, White, who acted as his own attorney, told the court that he was driving his black 2014 Can-Am Spyder motorcycle in Prattville the day and the time of the chase, but that it wasn't him who Prattville police officers chased.
"You want me to believe that there were two black Can-Ams, with two right side mirrors off, driving through Prattville at the same time," Colley said. "But that it was this phantom Can-Am that police chased. I reviewed the dash camera footage and you are exceedingly fortunate that officers did not file 10 to 12 other charges against you.
"I find it inconceivable that you want me to believe that this is not you."
After the verdict, White gave verbal notice that he would appeal the conviction to Autauga County Circuit Court. He has 14 days to appeal the verdict.
According to previous testimony, a Prattville officer on the night of March 26 spotted a black Can-Am Spyder traveling at a high rate of speed west bound on the U.S. Highway 82 Bypass. The driver did not stop when the officer attempted to pull him over and then drove away at a high rate of speed.
Two citizens riding together in a vehicle testified that they witnessed the chase and saw an object fall off the motorcycle. They retrieved the object and gave it to police. A Prattville police investigator told the court it was a right side mirror from a Can-Am Spyder.
The motorcycle drove through downtown Prattville at a high rate of speed, forcing several oncoming vehicles off the road and running several stop signs and red lights, the officer testified. Speeds in the chase reached more than 110 mph, the officer testified.
The chase was captured on the officer's dash camera. The officer was told to stop the chase after the motorcycle traveled outside the city's police jurisdiction and into rural parts of Autauga County.
An Autauga County deputy sheriff and an Alabama State trooper testified that they heard the chase on the radio and set up on County Road 57. They testified that a short time after the chase was called, a black Can-Am traveling at a high rate of speed stopped at their vehicles, which were blocking the road.
They identified the driver as White, who told them he was unaware of being chased by Prattville police. The interaction was recorded by the officers' body cameras. White was arrested at a later date.
Reckless driving is a citation, and attempting to elude a police officer is a misdemeanor.
The Montgomery Advertiser has changed the way it covers crime and typically doesn’t report on misdemeanor cases or nonviolent felonies. The Advertiser is covering this case because White is seeking a position of public trust. Conviction of a misdemeanor generally does not ban a person from seeking or serving in public office in Alabama.
The Advertiser requested copies of the dash and body camera footage. City prosecutor Brad Ekdahl denied that request, stating that case could be appealed to circuit court.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Ell White, Autauga BOE candidate, guilty in Prattville police chase
