Politician caught driving at 107mph claims speed limits don’t apply | World | News
A politician traveling the streets at 107 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour district claimed he should not be held to the same standard as voters. State Rep. Ellen Read, 46, was allegedly caught speeding in December 2024 by police officers who clocked her going 107 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone.
A separate incident stands out and is believed to have involved Read driving at 92mph in June last year. According to court documents, Read claimed he had “legislative privilege” to drive at those speeds. The privilege means he cannot be arrested while traveling to or leaving the legislature. The MP then asked for the charges to be dismissed.
Read was found guilty of negligent driving after the initial traffic stop and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for August. Boston Globe reported. A speeding charge from a separate traffic stop was rescheduled after the judge recused himself in April.
Lawmakers representing Read compared the state official to a first responder and suggested the speeding violation was justified. They did not offer an explanation of what would justify the speeds.
His lawyer, former state lawmaker Daniel Hynes, argued that legislative privilege meant Read could move to illegally obtain and dismiss evidence that led to the negligent driving charge, but the motion was denied. He was found guilty of the non-criminal charge and fined $1,240.
The hearing in August was postponed for part of the sentence and it is possible that Read will face a harsher sentence. During the second traffic stop, Read allegedly yelled at the deputy and claimed the officer did not understand the law.
Maj. Christopher Bashaw of the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said the interaction between the officer and Read lasted 10 minutes. He added: “I don’t think anyone in the public believes that a state representative is immune from committing any infraction or crime just because he or she travels to and from session.
“It would be absurd to think that someone could cause an accident, kill someone, and not be held responsible for it.”
