Cumberland County President Judge Edward E. Guido couldn't suppress a chuckle as Devon Ruoss stood before him to enter a guilty plea Tuesday morning.

After all, the man had tried to outrun a bevy of Carlisle cops on a bicycle. And one of the officers was in a cruiser with lights flashing and siren blaring.

As Senior District Attorney Daniel Sodus explained it, Ruoss, 41, began his ill-fated two-wheeled flight around 3 p.m. on July 26 after a borough officer recognized him as a wanted man. Two days earlier, Ruoss had been accused of punching a woman.

So, the officer ordered Ruoss to stop when he spied him in the 100 block of South Hanover Street. Instead, Ruoss pedaled away with the cruiser in pursuit, Sodus said. "Several officers on foot tried to stop Mr. Ruoss as well," the prosecutor added.

"So that was done on a bicycle?" Guido asked as Ruoss stood there in handcuffs.

"A bicycle," Sodus confirmed.

"So, it wasn't a high-speed chase?" the judge continued.

"It depends on how fast he can ride a bicycle," the DA replied.

Ruoss pleaded guilty to fleeing police for the bike chase and to simple assault for the punching incident. His only deal is for a county prison term that has yet to be determined by Guido.

The judge is to sentence Ruoss in November.