Karen Toles To Fight Reckless Driving In Prince George's County Trial On Beltway Speeding Case

Official In Beltway Speeding Case May Escape Reckless Driving Charge

WASHINGTON -- After apologizing to her constituents for driving more than 100 miles an hour on the Capital Beltway, a councilmember in D.C.'s Maryland suburbs is now planning to fight her reckless driving ticket in court.

According to The Washington Times, Prince George's County Councilmember Karen Toles will be in a county court on April 20 for a trial stemming from the Feb. 22 incident.

Toles was initially let off with just a warning on the excessive speeding because a county police officer didn't have a radar gun to clock her official speed. But the officer did have to drive up to 105 miles an hour to catch Toles on the Beltway, which has a speed limit of 55 mph.

Toles was cited and fined for an improper lane change.

But the lack of a penalty for her excessive speeding caused an uproar as critics said that county police were giving the councilmember preferential treatment, which the department denied.

A police executive panel later revisited the case, as Patch reported, and she was charged with reckless driving.

As The Washington Post reports, since Toles already pleaded guilty to the improper lane change, she possibly could have the reckless driving ticket thrown out on grounds of double jeopardy "essentially by arguing the councilwoman is being prosecuted again for a crime to which she has already pleaded guilty."

But there is no indication at this point that Toles will pursue a double-jeopardy argument, according to the Post.

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