Posted on 09/25/2026 9:32:53 AM PDT by Red Badger
An 11-year-old’s ride to a fishing spot in Oviedo, Florida, ended with police stopping him, fingerprinting him, towing his electric dirt bike, and ordering him to appear in court.
Cade Kirchner, a sixth grader, was riding toward a nearby pond with his fishing pole on Labor Day, September 7.
His father, Chris Kirchner, said Cade was about 300 feet from home and traveling on the road’s shoulder.
The family says the bike was limited to 20 miles per hour. FOX 35 Orlando reported that police classified it as a motorcycle under Florida law.
They say the 4,500-watt machine has pegs instead of pedals, so Florida law classifies it as a motorcycle, not an e-bike, meaning it needs registration, insurance, a motorcycle endorsement, and a licensed adult rider.
The citation was issued under Florida Statute 320.02 for an unregistered vehicle, which requires a court appearance.
Because Cade had no driver’s license, they put his fingerprint on the ticket to satisfy ID rules. The bike was towed because it “is not legally allowed on the roadway.”
Oviedo Mayor Megan Sladek called Cade a “good kid” but said officers’ hands were tied by state definitions. Police added they could have piled on more citations and chose only one.
"The State of Florida regulates motorcycle use, and the definition of what counts as a motorcycle and what counts as an e-bike," Mayor Sladek said.
"Even if it has two wheels, if it doesn't have pedals, the State of Florida will classify that as a motorcycle and not as an e-bike."
Body-camera footage shows an officer warning Cade that he had to appear in court or “they’re going to put out a warrant.”
The hearing is scheduled for a school day, meaning the sixth grader will have to miss class. ClickOrlando reported that his father plans to ask prosecutors to dismiss the case.
According to the news outlet, Cade got his e-bike after raising $900 through his summer business selling squirrel tables.
Video via Fox35 Orlando:
VIDEO AT LINK.................
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
It is possible that the dad didn't know the son was riding illegally. Possible, but not probable.
We've been having the same problem kids riding recklessly on e-bikes, e-motorcycles and gas-driven dirt bikes around these parts. The parents all know their kids are riding illegally and defend the actions as "just kids being kids."
The dad certainly knew his son bought it. The dad knew his son didn't have a driver license to ride it on public roads.
The dad could also see it had no lights, license plate and that it wasn't registered and insured and therefore wasn't street legal.
As they say, whether the dad didn't know it was or wasn't street legal; ignorance of the law is no excuse.
When you buy a car, it's not the responsibility of the seller to explain the rules of the road. Same here
This has become a big problem for Oviedo. The Oviedo PD tried education and warnings. It didn't work.
Now, to get the parents attention and compliance with the law, they've moved onto citations with mandatory court dates, fines and seizures with accompanying towing and impound fees.
The parents ignored the carrot. Now they get the stick.
Well I had a cop follow me for several months, then pulled over and wanted to go on a date. Ah, nope.
Cool. Thanks!
I wouldn't have gone with strength of evidence like that, but I guess you did. Please reconsider what "reasonable doubt" might entail. A few qualifiers would be in order; i.e., 'looks like he knew,' 'the cops in that area have reason to believe,' or some such.
The dad could also see it had no lights, license plate and that it wasn't registered and insured and therefore wasn't street legal.
Again, presuming that he knew it was legally "a motorcycle." Your case is that shaky.
As they say, whether the dad didn't know it was or wasn't street legal; ignorance of the law is no excuse.
In the instance of being 300ft from home, I'd say a degree of discretion upon the part of the arresting officer is in order. Apparently you don't.
Noted. You'd make a fine bureaucrat.
Why did his parents allow an 11yo to buy an e-moto in the first place. Kid can’t walk 300ft to a pond??
As I recall it is prohibited by law to fingerprint any individual under the age of 15. Sure seems like these officers broke the law in addition to being heavy handed.
Good questions.
True.
What sort of madness is this?!
Florida county I live in the cops take them off the road and call their parents to come get them. They don’t write them up or anything. Now, I cannot say if they continuously get pulled over and allowed home with dad but I can say Ive never seen the same kid pulled over more than once.
It's just like at DUI checkpoints: if a citizen is stopped with an expired driver's license, they will impound the car and ticket the driver; if an illegal alien is stopped, they will let him call a friend to come take the car and drive him home so he can keep his ride.
More rights for the illegal than for the citizen.
-PJ
Their favorite restaurant is called “The Nut House”
BS. How many laws are there on the books? NOBODY, not a single lawyer or judge, has ever read them all, much less understood the case law associated therewith.
The maxim is little more than authoritarian posturing before depriving its unwitting victims.
>>Now someone needs to write a semi-kick-ass country song about “screwin’ yer corncobs down real good”.<<
Very good, LOL!
Oh really? Please do cite the successful defenses of a criminal violation by someone who was unaware of the statute.
I never would have even considered it being a problem having an electric bike that goes 20 mph. The kid could go faster than that on a bicycle.
I did see an electric bike coming toward me on the highway while going to town the other day. Saw the line of cars behind him but did not see him until I was nearly on him. The only thing I thought about him is that he is stupid. Hit him by accident though and find out how stupid he is.
Was he terrorizing the neighborhood?
Was the ‘just going 300 feet to go fishing’ made-up?
That's the length of a football field. Much easier to walk that far with fishing tackle
You omitted the first part of that quote. Here's what I wrote. I gave a qualifier, but as they say, reading doesn't always mean comprehension.
We've been having the same problem kids riding recklessly on e-bikes, e-motorcycles and gas-driven dirt bikes around these parts. The parents all know their kids are riding illegally and defend the actions as "just kids being kids."
My area has a couple of FB groups where people can post stuff, like kids riding illegally and recklessly their e-motorcycles and gas-driven dirt bikes on the streets and walking trails/horse paths.
FWIW, whenever I see it, I call it into the Sheriff's Dept. I've spoken to a few deputies. One the SD's Lieutenants reached out to me to gain additional information and insight as I live on a street with a lot of illegal and reckless riding, such as kids doing wheelies, cursing pedestrians who are on the walking path as the 'kids' roar by at 50mph. My wife even video-recorded one incident while she was walking.
I think this qualifies me to comment on the illegal and reckless activity I've personally witnessed in my own part of town without the need for "reasonable doubt." What say you?
Again, presuming that he knew it was legally "a motorcycle." Your case is that shaky.
Again, ignorance of the law is no excuse. The argument that it's the seller's responsibility to inform the buyer about the laws is what's shaky.
In the instance of being 300ft from home, I'd say a degree of discretion upon the part of the arresting officer is in order. Apparently you don't.
The city tried education. They tried warnings. It didn't work. Now they're enforcing the laws as written.
At the source article, an Oviedo Lieutenant commented that their officers are using discretion in how they're handing the ongoing problem and they've been very lenient.
Instead of writing civil citations for unregistered vehicles and towing the e-motorcycle, they could be issuing moving or criminal citations for illegally operating a motor vehicle.
It is an off-road motorcycle capable of 60mph.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.