Law pops a wheelie on kid in dune buggy
Staff writer
A 16-year-old Hillsboro boy who ignored a stop sign at Old Mill Rd. and US-56 and popped a wheelie with his dune buggy in front of an oncoming camper June 26 was located and ticketed Monday evening by Hillsboro police.
Assistant Police Chief Randy Brazil said tips came in to police after people read an article about the incident in Marion County Record.
Brazil said the boy, Cooper Heffley, “just wasn’t thinking” as he sped across US-56 with a passenger in the dune buggy. He got a citation anyway.
After popping the wheelie, he sped south on Old Mill Rd.
Hillsboro officer Duane McCarty, just off shift and heading home to Marion, followed the dune buggy down Old Mill Rd. as far as 190th, where Old Mill becomes a gravel road. He stopped there because rising dust made it unsafe to follow the dune buggy.
When Cooper and his parents came to the police station Monday evening, McCarty’s camera footage of the incident was shown to them, Brazil said.
“We talked to him about it and showed them the video,” Brazil said. “Our main goal is to prevent a tragedy.”
Cooper was ticketed for failing to stop at a stop sign.
“That was the thing that was clearly visible on the video,” Brazil said.
Cooper was “pretty upset” about the situation, Brazil said, but his parents were happy police did the right thing.
“If we can prevent a tragedy, that’s the goal,” Brazil said. “When you’re 16, you don’t think about the consequences.”