McHenry man caught driving 140 mph sentenced to 18 months

A McHenry man who admitted driving his motorcycle 140 mph down a residential street with cocaine in his pocket was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison by a judge who said his criminal record indicates he would not do well on probation.

Andrew E. Seekings, 28, will have to serve at least half the time handed down on his convictions for possession of a controlled substance and speeding more than 40 mph over the speed limit stemming from the June 18 incident.

Seekings, of the 700 block of Emerald Drive, was arrested that day after a McHenry patrol officer using radar to check for speeders near the 1700 block of North Oak Drive clocked his 2006 Yamaha motorcycle traveling 65 mph in a 20 mph zone, according to court documents.

The officer began following, but could not keep up and cut off the pursuit as Seekings turned onto a second street and began driving even faster, police said. Seekings, however, stopped on his own and was seen throwing something out of his pocket as the officer pulled up to him, police said.

When asked how fast he was driving, Seekings told the officer he was going 140 mph before stopping.

McHenry County prosecutors had asked for a 42-month prison sentence while Seekings' defense sought probation. Judge Sharon Prather, noting Seekings' criminal record that included a two-year prison term for a 2001 aggravated battery conviction, said she does not believe he would comply with the terms of probation.