COLUMBUS, Ind. — A teenager from Hope was killed in a Monday evening motorcycle crash in Bartholomew County. Police believe the motorcyclist was involved in police pursuit earlier in the evening.
At 11:43 p.m., a motorcycle operated by Xavier Maurice Scrogham, 18, went straight through a 90-degree turn on Sunland Road and continued off the road. Scrogham traveled across a grassy area and struck a telephone pole support wire, ejecting him. He was declared dead at the scene.
About seven minutes earlier, an off-duty Nashville police officer was southbound on U.S. 31 near Lowell Rd., when he noticed a motorcycle with no license plate. The motorcycle accelerated quickly and continued south on U.S. 31 with police in pursuit. A short time later dispatchers were notified the motorcyclist turned east on Base Line Road, then north on County Road 650E. The Nashville police officer eventually lost sight of the vehicle and terminated the pursuit at County Road 650E and 25th Street.
This is an ongoing investigation.