CHP: High-speed drivers hit 145 and 110 mph on Highway 101, go to jail

Two suspected high-speed drivers moving through Highway 101 commute traffic Tuesday evening went to jail after being clocked at 145 mph and 110 mph, according to the CHP.

The incidents occurred at opposite ends of the county, almost at the same time, said CHP Officer Jon Sloat in a release.

In Petaluma at about 5:15 p.m. a northbound motorcycle rider going 97 mph passed a CHP officer monitoring traffic on the side of the highway.

The officer got on his motorcycle and headed up the Cotati grade behind the Suzuki rider who accelerated to about 145 mph and briefly cut through traffic before taking the Railroad Avenue exit, Sloat said.

The motorcycle ran a stop sign and turned into a driveway. The officer pulled up and ordered rider Antonio Preston, 22, to the ground.

The Santa Rosa man complied and was arrested on suspicion of reckless evasion of police and reckless driving.

A check of Preston’s driving history showed he had several traffic violations in the last year and wasn’t licensed to ride a motorcycle.

At 5 p.m., on the northern end of the county, 911 callers reported a Mini Cooper driver who was erratically moving through southbound highway traffic near Dutcher Creek Road.

A CHP officer in the area near Canyon Road saw the small car speed by at about 110 mph, Sloat said.

The officer pursued the car and reported the driver mad repeated sudden lane changes in traffic at the high speed.

At about Geyserville Avenue the officer caught up and stopped the driver, Daysn Fitzpatrick, 33, of Lakeport. He was arrested on suspicion of reckless driving.

CHP officers have the discretion to cancel pursuits depending on traffic conditions, Sloat said.