Feb 29, 2008 5:01 pm US/Pacific
Turlock 'Ghost-Riding' Video Could Lead To Arrest
TURLOCK (CBS13) ―
A Turlock cop surfing the internet found a video of a local teen 'ghostriding.' His license plate was in clear view in the video and so detectives tracked the teen down at his parents' house.
Officer Neil Cervenka was home on the internet and ran 'Turlock' through Break.com, a YouTube style site where you can upload video.
Cervenka then clicked on the video called "Ghostriding the Whip in Turlock." When the video played, he saw six teens 'ghostriding' in a 2004 GMC pickup.
'Ghostriding the Whip' is when a driver slows a car to a few miles per hour, then jumps out and dances along side the vehicle.
During the duration of the clip, a low camera angle caught the license plate number of the vehicle. Cervenka copied it down and tracked down the driver of the vehicle, Francisco Plasencia, 19, at his parents' house.
Cervenka, a traffic officer, will forward the case to Stanislaus County district attorney office, where prosecutors will decide to try Plasencia on misdemeanor reckless driving.
If the case goes to court, it will be the first time in the region that the videotaping and posting on the net of a suspected crime has led to an arrest.
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