A Whitewood police officer has been cited for careless driving for running into an Idaho motorcyclist Aug. 10 during the Sturgis rally.

John Wainman Sr., a temporary officer with the Whitewood Police Department, was driving a Chevy Tahoe police vehicle at 1:13 a.m. that Friday, when he came onto Interstate 90 westbound from the Whitewood on-ramp, then attempted to cut across the lanes of traffic to get to the emergency cut-across and go east on I-90, according to South Dakota Highway Patrol reports.

The left front of the Tahoe hit the side of a Victory motorcycle ridden by Glade Ririe, 42, of Shelley, Idaho, according to the highway patrol. Ririe's bike careened into the ditch. Ririe managed to keep the motorcycle upright, but his passenger, Annette Eastvold, was thrown from the bike. Both Ririe and Eastvold were treated for minor injuries at Spearfish Regional Hospital.

Wainman, 62, was not injured.

In its initial account, released Friday, Aug. 10, the Highway Patrol said Ririe's motorcycle struck the Whitewood Police vehicle as it was attempting the turn-around on the interstate.

Highway Patrol Capt. Randy Hartley of Rapid City said Wainman did not see the motorcycle.

Ririe, in an earlier phone interview, said the Whitewood officer not only didn't see him, but he also didn't see a group of three to five motorcycles headed west on I-90. "He was headed west on the shoulder slowly, and he came off the right-hand shoulder across two lanes of traffic and hit us," Ririe said.

However, Wainman had his amber lights flashing, which are a caution to motorists to slow down, according to Highway Patrol Lt. Kevin Karley. "That's our protocol when we're going to do a median crossover. We activate our amber lights," Karley said.

Amber Richey, Lawrence County deputy state's attorney, said she has filed a complaint charging Wainman with careless driving, a class 2 misdemeanor. If convicted, Wainman could face a maximum sentence of 30 days in jail and a $400 fine. His initial court appearance has been set for Sept. 24.

Whitewood Mayor Mike Weyrich said he learned Wednesday that Wainman was being cited. Wainman is a temporary officer who was hired before the rally started to replace a permanent officer who had resigned, Weyrich said. The mayor said Wainman's service was scheduled to end today, according to the hiring agreement.

The mayor said no disciplinary action was planned against the officer. "The way I read the report, they were both in the wrong. He was the only one cited," Weyrich said.

Wainman was involved in another accident that ended up in court when he was the assistant police chief for Belle Fourche in the 1990s.

Wainman was speeding to approach and "pace" two motorcycles in March 1993, when he struck and injured a motorist who was turning at an intersection in Belle Fourche, according to court records.

The motorist sued, and a jury found that Wainman and the city were negligent. The South Dakota Supreme Court later affirmed the jury's ruling.

Wainman later became police chief in Belle Fourche but was fired by Belle Fourche Mayor Bill Jewett in March of 2006 after the state Division of Criminal Investigation conducted a report on his conduct. The mayor released no further details about the report or his reasons for firing Wainman.