I guess it's always worth trying the "I was running late" excuse, huh?
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Trooper clocked at 131 MPH, ticketed
Horry officer back at work after 3-day suspension for going 131 mph in Kershaw County
Friday, Apr. 03, 2009
A state trooper who was clocked traveling 131 miles per hour in a 70 mile per hour zone Saturday has returned to work after a three-day unpaid suspension, Department of Public Safety director Mark Keel said.
Senior Trooper J.D. McGaha was ticketed for speeding and immediately suspended without pay about noon Saturday in Kershaw County after his unmarked Dodge Charger was stopped on I-20 by another trooper, Keel said.
McGaha, who is assigned to Horry County, was scheduled to direct traffic at the Carolina Cup in Camden and was running late, Keel said.
He faces a $355 fine and six points against his license if convicted, Keel said.
“There was no justification for it,” Keel said. “He had no excuse.”
Efforts to reach McGaha on Thursday were unsuccessful.
While McGaha was being stopped, he flashed the car’s police lights, presumably to let the trooper know he was a police officer, Keel said.
McGaha’s unmarked patrol car was taken away, Keel said. He’s now driving a marked patrol car.
Troopers consider it a privilege to drive unmarked cars, Keel said.
McGaha has been with the patrol since July 2005 and has no prior disciplinary violations, Keel said.
In August 2006, McGaha was recognized by the Department of Public Safety and Mothers Against Drunk Driving as “Statewide Rookie of the Year” for his work stopping drunk drivers.
“He’s been a great trooper from what I understand,” Keel said. “He was very apologetic, and he knew he made an error in judgment, and it’s those kinds of errors that can get people hurt.”
http://www.thestate.com/local-metro/story/736923.html
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Trooper removed from duty
Saturday, April 04, 2009 at 11:31 p.m.
The trooper ticketed for driving 130 in a 70 mph zone is now out of a job.
Senior Trooper J.D. McGaha, who was suspended yesterday,
has been removed from duty for driving with a suspended license.
Public Safety Director Mark Keel says McGaha's license
was suspended between last December and February for failing to pay vehicle taxes.
McGaha was driving a patrol car and had been issuing tickets during that time. Those cases could now be in jeopardy.
http://www.midlandsconnect.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=282866
Oops.