(RepublicanNews.org) – A Georgia resident recently found himself on the receiving end of what many would consider to be an extreme example of bureaucratic inefficiencies. Fortunately for Connor Cato, the system was able to correct itself.
When faced with a speeding ticket fine that was more in line with a massive lottery win, the confused driver was told to either pay up or talk to a judge. The $1.4 million penalty he was hit with couldn’t be real, could it?
In September, Cato says he was pulled over by a Georgia State Patrol officer while flying down the road on a freeway outside Savannah. The driver admitted to WSAV-TV, a local outlet, that he had indeed been speeding to excess. His 45 mph over the posted 55 mph speed limit was enough to warrant a ticket.
After Cato’s pedigree information was run through the officer’s computer system, he was ticketed and allowed to go. Life continued as usual for the Georgian until a short time later, when his citation arrived in the mail. He instantly found himself indebted to the government to the tune of almost $1.5 million.
As most likely would when hit with such shocking news, Cato got on the horn and called his local civil court. “Pay up,” the driver says he was told. “Pay up, or wait until December and plead your case in front of a judge.” Cato did not pay up, but he also didn’t want a lingering million-dollar-plus penalty to be hanging over his head for the next three months.
After some digging, the speeder learned that his excessive infraction total was apparently nothing more than a clerical placeholder, frustrating as it might be. A spokesman for the city government of Savannah confirmed to Cato that he need not worry.
Joshua Peacock, the spokesman in question, said the city is working to update its ticketing software. Speeding fines “cannot exceed $1000,” he said.
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