A Yorba Linda father whose son crashed an allegedly illegally modified e-motorcycle and suffered serious injuries can face trial for child abuse and endangerment, an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled on Wednesday, Aug. 26.
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Richard Eyssallenne appears to be the first parent in Orange County facing criminal charges for their child’s alleged illegal use of an e-motorcycle to face a preliminary hearing, where a judge decides whether there is enough evidence for the case to move to a jury trial. Other parents facing similar charges are at earlier stages of the court process.
According to police, Eyssallenne’s 12-year-old son received the e-motorcycle as a Christmas gift. It was temporarily impounded after the boy received a citation in December 2024. But the e-motorcycle was returned to the boy after he, his father and his younger brother attended a Yorba Linda Police Services e-bike safety course in January 2025, according to prosecutors.
Six months later, the boy allegedly ran a red light while riding the e-motorcycle near Via Lomas De Yorba West and La Palma Avenue. The driver of a Honda Civic tried to swerve but was unable to avoid hitting the e-motorcycle. The boy suffered a concussion, inter-cranial bleeding, a skull fracture, a broken wrist and a fractured femur, according to prosecutors.
Dashboard footage of the collision, captured by another car, was shown during the hearing, according to a CBS-LA report.
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Prosecutors say the e-motorcycle the boy was riding had been illegally modified to go up to 50 miles per hours. A speed governor meant to limit the bike’s speed to 20 mph had been cut, prosecutors added, and a key switch allowing the speed-limiting mechanism to be bypassed had been installed.
If convicted as charged, Eyssallenne faces up to six years in prison.
Eyssallenne is among four parents currently facing criminal charges for their underage children’s use of an e-motorcycle. The other parents include an Aliso Viejo mother whose son fatally injured an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran while the boy was riding an e-motorcycle in Lake Forest.
The list of parents facing criminal charges may soon grow.
Local prosecutors have acknowledged that they are overseeing more than two-dozen open investigations into parents of children suspected of illegally riding e-bikes or e-motorcycles. A series of accidents and high-profile incidents have drawn public concern and law enforcement scrutiny over use of the increasingly popular vehicles by juveniles.
DA Todd Spitzer in mid-May announced the creation of a specialized group of prosecutors called the RIDE SAFELY — Smart Accountability for E-Bikes and E-Motos and Law Enforcement for Youth — unit to handle the potential e-motorcycle and e-bike related cases.
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