Minn. Trooper Writes 205 Mph Speeding Ticket!

[ibe98765]

Minn. Trooper Writes 205 Mph TicketSep 21, 4:39 PM (ET) WABASHA, Minn. (AP) - With a State Patrol airplane overhead, a motorcyclist hit the throttle and possibly set the informal record for the fastest speeding ticket in Minnesota history: 205 mph.On Saturday afternoon, State Patrol pilot Al Loney was flying near Wabasha, in southeastern Minnesota on the Wisconsin border, watching two motorcyclists racing along U.S. Highway 61.When one of the riders shot forward, Loney was ready with his stopwatch. He clicked it once when the motorcycle reached a white marker on the road and again a quarter-mile later. The watch read 4.39 seconds, which Loney calculated to be 205 mph."I was in total disbelief," Loney told the St. Paul Pioneer Press for Tuesday's editions. "I had to double-check my watch because in 27 years I'd never seen anything move that fast."Several law enforcement sources told the newspaper that, although no official records are kept, it was probably the fastest ticket ever written in the state.After about three-quarters of a mile, the biker slowed to about 100 mph and let the other cycle catch up. By then Loney had radioed ahead to another state trooper, who pulled the two over soon afterward.The State Patrol officer arrested the faster rider, 20-year-old Stillwater resident Samuel Armstrong Tilley, for reckless driving, driving without a motorcycle license - and driving 140 miles per hour over the posted speed limit of 65 mph.A search of speeding tickets written by state troopers, who patrol most of the state's highways, between 1990 and February 2004 shows the next fastest ticket was for 150 mph in 1994 in Lake of the Woods County.Tilley did not return calls from the newspaper to his home Monday. A working number for him could not immediately be found by The Associated Press on Tuesday.Only a handful of exotic sports cars can reach 200 mph, but many high-performance motorcycles can top 175 mph. With minor modifications, they can hit 200 mph. Tilley was riding a Honda 1000, Loney said.Kathy Swanson of the state Office of Traffic Safety said unless Tilley was wearing the kind of protective gear professional motorcycle racers wear, he was courting death at 200 mph."I'm not entirely sure what would happen if you crashed at 200 miles per hour," Swanson said. "But it wouldn't be pretty, that's for sure."---Information from: St. Paul Pioneer Press, http://www.twincities.com

[longgone]

Time to get that stopwatch in the shop for repair.................

[havnblast]

eeeks wonder what the $ damage was - MN is way more expensive to tickets than ND

[georgeg4]

eeeks wonder what the $ damage was - MN is way more expensive to tickets than ND

That is my question exactly . I dont know the exact amou7nt ( cause i havent had a speeding ticket for a long long time ) but in Pennsylvania they charge you a fixed dolllar amount for each mile above the speed limit . which is i assume the same everywhere . We did however have a ticket issued in this state for 240 miles per hour . which was done in a sports car and the driver taped his speedometer for " bragging rights " and that is how they caught him .

[longgone]

Just as a guess,,,, I would say at the least his fine (no doubt huge) included the suspension if not complete revocation of his license for a looooooooooong time.

[ibe98765]

Out of curiosity, I did some Googling to see if what some of the charges might be for this guy. I'd bet that they will charge him with both reckless and careless driving which is full misdemeanor plus ecessive speed, improper use of the road, potential endangerment of others, etc., etc...

Speed violations Under most circumstances, speeding is a petty misdemeanor punishable by a maximum penalty of a $200 fine. However, if a speeding violation is committed in such a manner as to endanger persons or property it can be charged as a misdemeanor with maximum penalties of a $700 fine and 30 days imprisonment. Minnesota does not have a point system on driver’s licenses, but a third petty misdemeanor in a year can be charged as a misdemeanor, and a third misdemeanor in a year can result in a driver’s license revocation.

Then there's: Fines for common moving violationsAnd if they suspend his license, there is another $400 or so fee to reinstate it. Oh well, it must have been fun anyway...

[Ed_P]

He just might beat the ticket, based on family ties.

The culprit turned out be Samuel Armstrong Tilley, 20, of Stillwater, who is either completely goofy or is a professional, there often being little distinction if you have seen a professional drag his knee around an S-curve. I guess young Sam isn't talking. He got a ticket for driving 140 miles over the posted limit of 65. I left a call for Tilley's father, Dean, a Washington County sheriff's deputy.

[longgone]

Could this possibly be the injustice of justice ???????

[Freddy]

Speed clocked by a stopwatch.... Hmm, seems this would be entirely dependant on the reaction time of the guy in the plane. A quarter mile is not very far, and given things like reaction time, the angle at which the plane was to the road, and how much attention the cop had to pay attention to his plane, there could be some fudge factor here.

[teacher]

One has to wonder about the accuracy of the stop watch and the ability to hold up in court for a case but I bet the young man is bragging about it somewhere......If I had a son that did that you bet I would do everything in my power to stop him from driving.

[ibe98765]

Speed clocked by a stopwatch.... Hmm, seems this would be entirely dependant on the reaction time of the guy in the plane.  A quarter mile is not very far, and given things like reaction time, the angle at which the plane was to the road, and how much attention the cop had to pay attention to his plane, there could be some fudge factor here.

Hmmm. You mean he might have actually been going 235 MPH????

[georgeg4]

teacher Posted on Sep 24 2004, 02:44 PM One has to wonder about the accuracy of the stop watch and the ability to hold up in court for a case but I bet the young man is bragging about it somewhere......If I had a son that did that you bet I would do everything in my power to stop him from driving.Freddy  Posted on Sep 24 2004, 07:32 AM Speed clocked by a stopwatch.... Hmm, seems this would be entirely dependant on the reaction time of the guy in the plane. A quarter mile is not very far, and given things like reaction time, the angle at which the plane was to the road, and how much attention the cop had to pay attention to his plane, there could be some fudge factor here.

i would be inclined to agree with ibe98765 here . it is true that a stopwatch is not 100% accurate but i seriously doubt wether it would be more than at best 10% 0ff which would put his speed between 180 and 225 . .

[georgeg4]

good point temmu