AZ GOP Top Director Arrested At Party Headquarters

PHOENIX - Just as Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen was concluding a meeting this morning at the Arizona Republican Party headquarters, he and fellow Republican leaders and staffers watched in shock as police officers handcuffed and took into custody their top staffer, Executive Director Brett Mecum, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the party.

According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Mecum was photographed just after midnight on April 10 by a stationary photo enforcement camera driving his Ford Mustang on the 101 freeway eastbound near 59th Avenue driving 109 miles per hour in a 65 mile-per-hour zone.

The DPS statement says, "The state statute which covers criminal speeding applies to everyone equally. If there are valid criminal charges, the arrest of Mr. Mecum is like any other criminal speeding arrest. In this case, the charges speak for themselves."

Lee Miller, an attorney for the Arizona Republican Party, told the Arizona Capitol Times, "It was a silly, stupid thing to do and there is no excuse and there's no justification for it."

Six hours after Mecum's arrest, a fellow Republican Party staffer was still waiting to pick Mecum up from the Maricopa County 4th Avenue Jail in Phoenix.

Comments

[bobwalters]

For once, I think the AZ Lege did something at least partly sensible. The criminal speeding law resulted from a serious raft of fatalities on the Loop 101 around Phoenix that occurred because numerous idiots thought they were on a NASCAR speedway -- regardless of traffic -- and obviously had less than NASCAR driving credential­s/abilitie­s. One female was caught on camera numerous times in one month, doing over 100, at various times of the day and various traffic conditions. Her excuse: "I'm always running a little late, wherever I'm going." The Lege approved a revision of state statutes hiking the penalties for such idiocy. Fancy-dancy Snottsdale pioneered the cameras, in response to the bulk of fatal accidents occurring on their segment of the 101, but then discovered they could actually make money from their installation, which is, indeed, operated by a private, for-profit company on contract. Other incorporated communities thru which the 101 passes in its loop around metro Phoenix were sold on the money-making potential, so the private company is making a killing on contracts all over the metro area. The accident rate on Loop 101 has actually dropped since installation of the cameras and criminalization of high-speed violations. Phoenix, notorious for red-light-running, with predictable horrendous accidents, got into the act. The city also increased their revenues by shortening the timing of yellow caution lights at various intersections -- leave it to AZ to figure a way to PROFIT from public safety!

[PwnedByJesus]

This is not "silly" or "stupid". This is downright reckless and dangerous. The effort to remove speed cameras here in Arizona is growing, and now because one their own got caught, they will probably try even harder to get them dismantled.

I live in a very ignorant state.

[Spud777]

pwnedbyJesus: You are exactly correct. AZ keeps sending McCain back to the Senate, CASE CLOSED.

[Shashi0224]

Judging by your Senator I would say it's an ignorant state...bu­t, I hear it is beautiful!!

[susankhbelen]

Nah, I lived in AZ (just up Central Ave. from McCain) for 20 years.
The guy was trying to outrun the heat.

[INTUITE]

Republicans have always assumed they are different from the common folk. They also feel no law is broken unless you are caught and then if you are it is silly and stupid to make an issue of it. Yet! they have no idea why there are less and less of them.

[littlepuffycloud]

Is he wearing a MembersOnly jacket?

[InfinteShibumi]

This is not a political story.

[Grunty1]

Rushpublicans think it is. I'm sure they will spend all day defend this guy from the evil liberal police department.

[Grunty1]

[Lee Miller, an attorney for the Arizona Republican Party, told the Arizona Capitol Times, "It was a silly, stupid thing to do and there is no excuse and there's no justification for it."]

Rushpublicans think it is. They think they should be above the law.

[stevi]

If an average person can be arrested on these charges, then how is there no justification for the arrest of a GOP biggie? Only regular people must obey traffic laws? We should make exceptions for persons who are high up in repub politics?

[bogues]

Speeding is an equal opportunity offense. It can and does happen to people of every political party. That does not make it right but it should not be an excuse to smear Republicans. I am a Democrat by the way. I am suprised that those who hold such high positions, do not think more about the consequences of their actions.

[stonelaw]

I don't understand. He looks so white, so Christian, so conservative, so law abiding, so . . . Republican - how could someone like that have broken the law?

[Disdain]

You had to go there! He broke the law and got arrested. End of story! I know... A Democrat would never break the law! Right?

[Shashi0224]

Difference is, Democrats don't run on platforms of being morally superior to the rest of America. It's this superiority complex that has Republicans losing ground as we all make mistakes, we all do dumb things....­...however­, when we do dangerous, criminal things that could kill people - there are consequences. When you are in a high level political position and you do something this dumb and dangerous the penalty needs to be dished out exactly the same as if Joe the Schmo....(­you guys are big with Joes') did it.

[VOTER]

Same.

[bluerednot]

Yes, the camera thing is kind of creepy - but this guy might actually be thanking his lucky stars that he got caught on a camera and not by a trooper in a cruiser. Doing 109 MPH at half past midnight? Where was he before that? If he had had one or two or three "for the road" at just about midnight, an immediate pull over and conversation with an officer might have turned this into more than it already is. Since the arrest happened the following morning, he had enough time to for his system to be clean -
We will never know if he had a buzz on when he was doing his "Fast and Furious" run through Phoenix at 12:30 - and I think that is the way he will try to keep it. He will have his lawyer plead this down to 19 MPH over the limit & agree to go to a driver's ed class, pay a fat fine and put it behind him. It is not a felony so it will not mark him for life. Just hope he wises up and takes it to the track if he wants to go that fast again.

[unstuffedshirt]

This man needs 48 hours in the company of Sheriff Joe Arpaio!

[javaz]

Sheriff Joe is a Republican and would treat this guy as royalty, just as he's done in the past with a famous NASCAR driver caught speeding excessively.
Sheriff Joe refused to jail the guy, like he would anyone else who wasn't famous, and instead made a public service commercial with the driver about speeding.

[Totto]

In pink pajamas. Nice 'Stang, though.

[justice11]

109 miles an hour? Guess this is just another one who does'nt think the law applies to him!!

[sjones66]

I know this doesn't seem like a lot, many comments are "What's the big deal?" but speed kills. That's reckless driving at best. Driving that fast on streets not designed for that kind of speed is dangerous. You can't break in time going those speeds. Your ability to handle the car is diminished. The contact with the road is diminished. It takes skill and training to be able to drive well at those speeds. AZ is not a straight shot anywhere, actually. And it's nice to see the law applied equally.

[Jamie Kowalski]

We all go a little over the speed limit on the freeway, but 109 seems pretty darn dangerous to me.

Sweet ride, though.

[serindipity803]

Everytime "AZ" is in a headline, I get nervous-another child has fallen by the wayside.