Clayton officer involved in crash with motorcyclist on leave

Update@4:45 p.m. (June 16):

Clayton Police Chief Matt Hamlin said Tuesday that Officer Mark Gau is on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the crash.

The officer, who has been with the department for 13 years, has been in auto accidents in the past while driving his police cruiser, Hamlin said.

Jimmy Payne Jr., the motorcyclist who was injured in the accident, is still a patient at Miami Valley Hospital, but officials there would not release his condition.

Update @1 p.m. (June 15):

The Clayton police officer and motorcyclist involved in the crash have been identified.

The motorcyclist is Jimmy Payne Jr. 51, of Dayton, and he remains in critical condition at Miami Valley Hospital, said Sgt. Chris Colbert of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The police officer is identified as Mark Gau, 47.

No charges have been filed, although Troopers continue to investigate the crash and are expected to interview Gau on Tuesday, Colbert said.

Fist take (June 13):

A Clayton police officer and a motorcycle rider were both taken to a local hospital Saturday night after the two collided.

The motorcycle struck the cruiser then caught fire around 7:50 p.m. on Ohio 49 near Hoke Road in Clayton.

According to a release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Dayton Post, the 47-year-old Clayton officer was pulling out of the Shell gas station and was struck in the left side by the eastbound 51-year-old motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Miami Valley Hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to OSHP.

The crash remains under investigation.