http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/h...ARE_S1.article
Quote:
Driver's felony is D.A.R.E. program gain
A MAN CAUGHT DRIVING 127 MPH WANTED HIS CAR GARAGED. BUT PLAINFIELD POLICE HAD A PLAN FOR THE DODGEE VIPER.
June 18, 2007
By JANET LUNDQUIST Staff Writer
PLAINFIELD -- Patrol Officer Mario Marzetta was about finished running radar on Essington Road on a March afternoon when the catch of the day flew by.
He heard it before he saw it -- the engine of a 2000 Dodge Viper revving high before the car blew by him at 127 mph in a 35 mph zone.
Officer Mario Marzetta stands with the Plainfield Police Department's new D.A.R.E. car. Marzetta was the arresting officer when the 2000 Dodge Viper was seized in March 2006 on numerous traffic offenses.
The driver was eventually charged with felony fleeing and eluding police, while his car became the property of the Plainfield Police Department.
Now the shiny black Viper with a cognac leather interior has a fresh-paint detail and is outfitted with lights, ready to serve as the department's new D.A.R.E. car.
The car's custom paint job was done by Jeff Brown of Todd's Body Shop and features an airbrushed American flag design on the hood. Others who donated services to customize the vehicle include Chicago Communication, Ray O'Herron, Plainfield Signs and Code 3.
The D.A.R.E. car, which will be taken to community events, block parties, parades and schools, will make its public debut Tuesday at Cruise Night in downtown Plainfield. Cruise Night is held every Tuesday night on Lockport Street through Aug. 28.
Attempted getaway
The arrest was made on an afternoon in March 2006. Marzetta chased the joy rider north from 135th to 127th Street, where the Viper swerved left around two cars at the intersection and turned right.
The Viper weaved in and out of an industrial park before the driver hit Weber Road traffic and tried to hide in a nearby parking lot.
As the driver, a Naperville resident, was being fingerprinted -- unaware he was losing his luxury ride -- he asked Marzetta if the car could be stored indoors to shelter it from the elements. The vehicle has 17,000 miles on it and is in like-new condition.
When Marzetta dropped the man off at the county jail, he "thanked" him for the car.
Felony seizures
Vehicles involved in the commission of a felony can be seized, said Community Service Officer Mark Siegel. The department has a lot full of seized vehicles, most of which aren't worth much and are sold at auction, he said.
"It's very safe to say that this is the only seized Viper out there that's a D.A.R.E. car," Siegel said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime car."
The department's previous D.A.R.E. car was a 1986 Pontiac Firebird seized in 1989. About seven years ago, it was one of six in the nation chosen to be made into Matchbox cars, Siegel said.
"We held onto that one longer than we should have" because of the Matchbox toy, he said, adding that by the end of its run with the department the car was barely driveable.
"Nobody wanted to drive it," he said. "Now I've got to beat them off with a stick."
Marzetta drove the car -- a sleek, 450-horsepower billboard for the police department -- for the first time Thursday.
As he pulled out of the lot, he paused to rev the engine several times.
"No!" Siegel yelled after him. "Remember what you're driving!"
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The Plainfield police station is right across the street from my office. You could see the Viper in the lot yesterday.
Bet that dude is devastated. I posted this on another forum that led to a 400+ post debate over whether the police should be allowed to do such a thing.
For the record, a few points:
1) The area he was going 92mph over in borders two subdivisions full of houses and parks. It is not a desolate stretch of road.
2) He was convicted of a felony for trying to elude police.