Motorcycle passenger ejected onto pavement after mishap

LIBERTY

A Youngstown man faces charges including driving under the influence after he reportedly lost control of his motorcycle, causing a passenger to be ejected onto the pavement.

Liberty police responded to a call on Tuesday evening about a man who had lost control of his motorcycle in the parking lot of Shakers Bar and Grill on Belmont Avenue. According to the complainant, the driver fled east on state Route 304 after a female passenger fell off the motorcycle.

Police caught up with the driver, John King, 55, of Youngstown and carried out a traffic stop. King declined to take a Breathalyzer test, but he smelled of alcohol and failed a series of sobriety tests, according to police.

Medics transported the passenger to St. Elizabeth's Hospital. She had an abrasion on her head, police said.

King will be arraigned Tuesday in Girard Municipal Court on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence, driving without a license, operating a motor vehicle without control and motorcycle endorsement violation.