TolesA Prince George’s County councilmember who was pulled over last month for driving well over the speed limit on the Capital Beltway has been cited for reckless driving and slapped with a steep fine.
Councilmember Karen Toles, a Democrat from Suitland, was pulled over February 22 after traveling at over 100 miles per hour, according to original reports. The Prince George’s police officer on the scene, however, did not have a radar gun with him and issued Toles a warning and turned his report over to a review panel.
Today, that panel issued Toles a citation for reckless driving, the Prince George’s Police Department announced today. Toles showed a “wanton disregard for public safety,” said Corporal Evan Baxter, a PGPD spokesman. “Her speed was a factor,” Baxter said, but not the only contributing factor. Without a radar gun, police were unable to give an exact reading of just how fast Toles was going, as the speedometer on police vehicles is not a calibrated device, but initial reports said it was about 105 miles per hour. The speed limit on the Capital Beltway is 55 miles per hour.
Police have video of Toles’ traffic stop, but are unable to release it, as it is evidence in a pending court case, Julie Parker, PGPD’s communications director, said via Twitter.
Toles, who after the incident voluntarily relinquished her county-owned car and enrolled in a driver training course, received a fine of $510 and six points on her driver’s license, police said. Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration suspends licenses at eight points and revokes at 12.
The officer who pulled over Toles did write her up for improperly changing lanes. Combined with the reckless driving charge, Toles has received eight points on her license, according to WTOP’s Mark Segraves.
