Fleeing a traffic stop on an electric bicycle might create some distance, but it apparently wasn’t enough to get one New York man away from police. Rome officers say 45-year-old George J. Wishart took off on his e-bike before officers caught him and subsequently discovered he was wanted by three different law enforcement agencies.
Officers first encountered Wishart at approximately 8 a.m. on September 17 near North George Street and West Bloomfield Street. According to Rome Police, officers saw him committing multiple traffic violations while riding the electric bicycle.
Police were already familiar with Wishart and knew Rome City Court had issued an active arrest warrant for him. When officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, however, police say Wishart fled on the e-bike rather than stopping.
Officers pursued Wishart before eventually taking him into custody on Black River Boulevard. It was only after the arrest that police say they discovered the Rome City Court warrant wasn’t the only one waiting for him.
Police Discover 2 More Felony Warrants After Arrest
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Following Wishart’s arrest, Rome Police learned he was also wanted on felony warrants issued through the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office and New York State Police. The department’s release does not identify the charges underlying any of those warrants.
Wishart was additionally charged with second-degree obstructing governmental administration and numerous traffic violations stemming from the September 17 encounter. Rome Police said he was held pending arraignment following his arrest.
Importantly, police do not say Wishart knew about all three warrants when he fled the attempted traffic stop. Officers were aware of the Rome City Court warrant beforehand but only learned about the Oneida County and New York State Police warrants after taking him into custody.
Custody Records Show Wishart at Oneida County Correction Facility
A subsequent custody record reviewed for this story lists Wishart as being held at the Oneida County Correction Facility in Oriskany. The record identifies his custody status as “In Custody” and lists the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office as the reporting agency.
A related New York State Department of Corrections record also lists Wishart under community supervision and describes his status as paroled in Oneida County. That record dates his community-supervision status to December 29, 2022, while the available information does not explain whether or how the September arrest could affect that status.
There is also an apparent timing discrepancy in the custody information worth noting: the Oneida County record gives a custody-status date of September 17 but displays a September 20 booking date. Without additional records explaining those entries, they should be presented as the dates currently shown by the custody database rather than interpreted as a second arrest or transfer.
Another E-Bike Rider Learned Pedaling Away From Police Only Goes So Far
Wishart isn’t the first person covered by Guessing Headlights to discover that an electric bike doesn’t necessarily make for a successful police getaway. In June, a 15-year-old in Virginia Beach fled an officer on a high-powered electric dirt bike capable of exceeding 59 mph, eventually prompting police to bring in air support.
That pursuit was considerably more involved than the one described by Rome Police, with authorities tracking the teenage rider until the bike was abandoned and the rider was taken into custody. Police said the teen had already received three previous warnings over reckless riding and was on probation when the latest pursuit occurred.
The circumstances and defendants are very different, but both cases started with an e-bike rider deciding not to stop for police and ended with officers making an arrest anyway.