Crime & Safety

Easton Woman Accused of Leading Police Chase

Catherine M. Kasperek jailed after allegedly leading police on a chase around Plainfield Township.

An Easton woman is accused of leading a Plainfield Township police officer on a labrynthian high-speed car chase along Route 512, Route 33 and local streets on Monday night, according to court papers.

Catherine M. Kasperek, 21, of 291 W. Berwick St., is facing multiple charges – most of them minor vehicular offenses. However, a charge of fleeing and eluding police and two counts of reckless endangerment earned Kasperek a trip to under $20,000 bail.

It began about 9:30 p.m. when Officer Scott Zabriskie, on routine patrol and driving south on Route 512 spotted Kasperek’s red Mercury sedan also traveling south, according to court papers. Zabriskie wrote in the warrant that he was familiar with Kasperek and knew her to be driving with a suspended license.

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Then, according to the affidavit:

  • Kasperek attempted a left turn onto Lehigh Street, turning the car toward Zabriskie’s police cruiser, nearly hitting it before completing the turn.
  • Zabriskie turned on his emergency lights and attempted to stop Kasperek, who sped away along Lehigh Street.
  • Kasperek proceed to run four stop signs along Lehigh Street at the intersections of Mechanic Street, Center Street, Fifth Street and, once again, Route 512, where she made an illegal left turn to continue south.
  • Zabriskie followed Kasperek onto Route 33 south at “a high rate of speed,” before she exited at Belfast , ran the exit stop sign and got back on Route 33.
  • Kasperek continued until she reached Stockertown, where she exited, ran the exit stop sign, and again got back on the highway.
  • Kasperek continued until reaching Route 248, where she turned east toward Easton and then ran a red light. At that point, Zabriskie called off the pursuit.

“Throughout the pursuit, the suspect drove her vehicle in a careless and reckless disregard for the safety of persons and property,” Zabriskie wrote in the affidavit.

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Kasperek was taken into custody before 2 a.m. Tuesday morning and arraigned before night duty District Judge James Narlesky of Hanover Township.


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