Prince George’s County Councilwoman Karen Toles, caught speeding over 100 mph on the Capital Beltway, plans to challenge her reckless-driving citation, according to court records. Toles, D-Suitland, requested a trial on March 12, court records posted Tuesday show. The trial is scheduled for April 20 at Prince George’s County District Court in Upper Marlboro.
Upper Marlboro lawyer Bill Haskell said it was a smart move for Toles to bring the reckless-driving charges to trial because she is at risk of having her license suspended.
“I don’t know about her political position, but it’s a wise decision from a driving record standpoint,” Haskell said. “If you pay the fine, you automatically get the points. If she goes to court, she can’t get a worse result.”
Toles had two points on her driver’s license before the latest traffic charges against her, according to state Motor Vehicle Administration records.
Police pulled over Toles after she was clocked speeding over 100 mph on the 55 mph Beltway on Feb. 22, when she was initially issued a warning and cited for an unsafe lane change. Officials explained that the officer’s radar gun wasn’t properly calibrated, and the officer was unable to keep pace with Toles long enough during his pursuit to establish exactly how fast she was driving.
Toles pleaded guilty to the unsafe lane change on March 5, the second time she’s paid a $90 fine for that particular citation, and was automatically issued another point.
A Prince George’s County Police Department executive review panel later determined that Toles’ actions merited a reckless-driving charge as well, which they issued March 6.
Simply paying the $510 fine for reckless driving would trigger an additional six points on Toles’ driver’s license and surpass the state’s eight-point threshold for suspending a license.
Calls to Toles’ attorney were not returned.
Toles could ask for probation before judgment, which would keep the citation off her motor vehicle record, or ask the judge for leniency by lowering the number of points associated with the traffic citation, according to Haskell.
If found guilty, the councilwoman could request a hearing before her license is taken away to request a reduced suspension, Haskell said.
