DERRY — Life in the fast lane will cost a Derry man six months in jail.
Justin McInnes, who tore up an orchard while fleeing from police last month, was found guilty in Derry District Court yesterday on two charges — disobeying an officer and revocation for reckless driving.
Both charges stem from a chase April 15, when officers in an unmarked car spotted McInnes driving on the wrong side of the road and speeding, Londonderry police Capt. William Hart said.
McInnes, 19, of 3 Jenney Dickey Hill Road, was sentenced to 12 months in Rockingham County Jail on both counts. But Judge John Coughlin suspended six months for each sentence, gave him credit for 35 days already served, and said the rest of the sentences would run concurrently, meaning McInnes would be out of jail in less than five months.
McInnes almost collided with the unmarked police car on Ash Street in Londonderry.
He was speeding and disappeared when officers tried to follow him. McInnes was clocked at about 70 mph, police said. He drove into Woodmont Orchard and gave police the slip when he left the orchard on Pillsbury Road. A second police car finally caught McInnes in a driveway on Hovey Road.
