photo by: Kim Callahan

A police chase on North Second Street on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025, ended in a fiery motorcycle crash.

A man who crashed a motorcycle while fleeing from police, seriously injuring his female passenger, was sentenced Friday to 21 months in prison.

Dillon Paul Herken, of Easton, pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated battery in September as part of a deal in which four other charges were dropped.

photo by: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office

Dillon Paul Herken

The high-speed crash occurred on Feb. 27 in North Lawrence as Herken fled from a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper, then hit the back of a Jeep Compass on North Second Street. Both Herken and his female passenger were thrown from the motorcycle, which caught fire.

Judge Sally Pokorny asked Herken if he had anything to say prior to sentencing, to which he replied, “No, ma’am.”

Herken has had numerous run-ins with the law in Douglas, Leavenworth and Atchison counties, including convictions for theft, identity theft, violations of drug and gun laws and various driving infractions.

Court records show that Herken took a plea deal in Leavenworth County on June 18, in which he was convicted of possession of methamphetamine and vehicular burglary; charges of possession of a weapon by a felon and felony theft were dropped. On Aug. 1, Herken was sentenced in the Leavenworth County case to a total of 30 months in prison: 20 months for possession of methamphetamine and 10 months for vehicular burglary, to run consecutively.

Pokorny accepted the sentence of 21 months as outlined in the plea agreement, with the sentence to run consecutively to the case in Leavenworth County, meaning Herken will face about 4.25 years in prison.