Deceased Named In Sunday’s HWY 4 Head-on Motorcycle Crash

Murphys, CA – The San Andreas Unit of the CHP has released the name of the motorcycle rider that led an officer on a chase Sunday night along Highway 4 in the Murphys area that ultimately ended in a deadly collision – possibly the result of DUI.

CHP spokesperson Toby Butzler detailed that the deceased rider is Spencer Roark from Escalon who was riding a 2021 Harley Davidson motorcycle. As earlier reported here, the rider failed to stop when an officer tried to pull him over for failing to stop at a stop sign. The chase came to an abrupt end when west of Main Street in Vallecito Roark crossed over the double-yellow lines smashing head-on with a car driven by a Bay Area woman who suffered minor injuries, according to Butzler.

Roark was ejected from the bike and landed on the north shoulder of the highway. Life-saving measures were taken at the scene but he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Butzler added, “The use of alcohol/drugs in this collision is under investigation.”