Streator police have issued 6 tickets for four-wheelers on city streets

Streator police said they have written six citations to individuals operating four wheelers illegally since April 2022.

The department has received 18 calls for service regarding operation of four wheelers on public streets, as well as several calls in reference to them being operated on private property (with property owner’s consent).

The discussion of ATVs traveling city streets illegally has been ongoing with public comments made at City Council meetings and social media conversation.

An incident May 5 brought the issue to the forefront again when a multi-vehicle crash involving a four-wheeler near the intersection of North Park and East Kent streets was reported. Streator police, fire, AMT and Stark County Medical Transport assisted in the crash. The driver of the four-wheeler was treated on scene and transported to a local hospital.

Streator resident Toni Pettit told the council May 10 during its Committee of the Whole meeting the May 5 incident should be used as a public service announcement. She said the crash is an example of what can happen when ATVs operate on the city’s roadways and sidewalks. In April 2021, she also addressed the council about an off-road vehicle speeding by the Baldwin House, a guest house she operates at the corner of Park and Kent streets, across the street from the City Park, warning that if her guests had arrived any earlier they may have been involved in an accident.

City Manager David Plyman told Pettit during the May 10 meeting the Streator police had been issuing tickets to illegal ATV riders. He said the police, however, will not engage in high-speed chases with the perpetrators for the safety of residents.

“The department has had some success with writing citations,” he said. “We will prosecute them to the extent of the law.”

Plyman indicated residents should call the Streator Police Department at 815-672-3111 or send private messages via Facebook reporting any issues with ATV riders. Streator police echoed those calls for reports Thursday.

“We thank everyone who has provided us information regarding the identities of those operating the four-wheelers, and/or locations from where the four-wheelers are coming from, and encourage the public to continue this through sending us private messages via Facebook,” said Deputy Chief Robert Wood in a press release.