‘Massive safety concern.’ Illegal street racing in Franklin County just got riskier

Franklin County deputies can now target one of the most important elements of illegal street racing — those who help organize it.

Until recently, police could only charge the drivers speeding down the road, but a new county ordinance allows deputies to arrest anyone participating in the dangerous events.

That can range from the people blocking the rural roads to the people acting as lookouts, armed with police scanners to listen for officers headed their way.

“(The races are) a massive safety concern for the people of Franklin County,” Deputy Drew Gardner told Franklin County commissioners at a recent meeting.

“We have situations were people are driving at incredibly high speeds while people are lining the roadways, and they are oftentimes under the influence of narcotics or alcohol. This creates a very significant risk to the public and to the individuals watching,” he said.

The ordinance, which the three commissioners approved unanimously, makes it a misdemeanor to support an illegal street race. Anyone convicted could face up to three months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.

Anyone caught again within five years could be charged with a gross misdemeanor, with up to a year in jail and $5,000 fine.

Deputy Carson Roske said the previous law was very narrow.

“If we were at a large event where there are 40, 50, 100 cars there, everybody else is doing, by current laws, nothing wrong,” Roske said. “Only two out of that 100 are committing a crime.”

While some were concerned that racing spectators who aren’t involved could get arrested, Franklin County Prosecutor Shawn Sant said prosecutors need to prove that those arrested were active participants. Simply being present isn’t enough for a conviction.

He compared it to being the getaway driver in a bank robbery. The driver would have to know that the person went to the bank to rob it and expected to benefit from the robbery.

“Simply driving the car is not the crime,” Sant said. “We have a myriad of different elements that we have to prove that someone is an accomplice.”

Racing season

The ordinance was passed just as the season for street racing is starting to heat up, Gardner told the Herald.

While there are racing events all year, the frequency increases as the weather warms up. During summer, officers can hear about efforts to organize two to three street races a day on the weekends.

The events are organized through social media, and people often will gather at a separate location and drive together to a rural road.

Normally they target a remote section of the county to avoid getting caught. Participants will normally block off road and have lookouts stationed to let them know if deputies are coming.

“They will go so far as to reroute traffic,” Gardner said.

Participants park their cars along the side of the roads while they watch or wait their turn to race. The high speeds and the drugs and alcohol, has caused some serious injuries.

Gardner said it’s hard to tell how many people are hurt in crashes because participants are reluctant to say they were involved in an illegal street race. However, he is aware of multiple wrecks that injured people.

“They are unwittingly placing themselves in very serious danger,” Gardner told the Herald. “We want to keep people safe.”

Roske, Gardner and with the rest of their team, Sgt. Travis Mahler and Deputy Cody Quantrell, hope the ordinance will make people think twice before participating. Without people watching, the appeal of racing drops, Gardner said.

The Franklin County ordinance is modeled after a law in Kent, Wash., which has been battling street racing in Western Washington for decades.

The deputies hope it makes going to a street race even riskier for participants.