Georgia Man Slapped with $1.4M Speeding Ticket? Here’s the Real Story
Clear Facts:
- Georgia resident Connor Cato received a staggering $1.4 million citation for speeding.
- The enormous sum turned out to be a “placeholder,” an automatic generation by the e-citation software.
- Savannah city officials clarify that actual speeding fines cannot exceed $1,000 plus state-mandated costs.
In a jaw-dropping incident, a Georgia man named Connor Cato was handed a speeding ticket that nearly gave him a heart attack – a staggering $1.4 million fine.
The exorbitant figure had Cato, and many others, wondering if this was some new draconian measure or just a sheer mistake.
Cato relayed to WSAV-TV in Savannah that he was slapped with this monstrous fine after being pulled over in September for clocking 90 mph in a 55 mph zone. Stunned and believing it to be a glaring typographical error, Cato promptly reached out to the court.
Instead of the assurance he expected, he was informed that his options were to either cough up the astronomical sum or make a court appearance in December.
However, it turns out there’s more to the story. Officials from Savannah chimed in, explaining that any motorist nabbed exceeding the speed limit by more than 35 mph is required to face a judge who will then decide the appropriate fine.
This whopping $1.4 million? Simply a “placeholder” spat out by the e-citation software used by the local Recorder’s Court, according to Joshua Peacock, a mouthpiece for Savannah’s city administration.
For those worried about the risk of such towering fines, Peacock clarifies that the cap on speeding fines in the area is a far more reasonable $1,000, along with some additional state-mandated expenses.
Peacock emphasized, “We do not issue that placeholder as a threat to scare anybody into court, even if this person heard differently from somebody in our organization.”
In light of the confusion and consternation this incident caused, he stated that there are plans afoot to tweak the “placeholder language to avoid any confusion” in the future.
We want to know what you think! Share your thoughts in the comments below.
George T Stafford
October 28, 2023 at 9:46 pm
Totally unreasonable and a danger to anyone mentally unstable. An honest, truthful citation should be used.
Don N
October 28, 2023 at 11:39 pm
A liberal probably figured they could get more money to spend that way.
Mike Smith
October 31, 2023 at 5:19 pm
You are correct, I live in Sav. 1/2 black and overwhelmingly liberal! Our Mayor is as corrupt as they come. He’s the one that hung the “Black press only” sign on the door when he was giving a talk in his election campaign. He is disgusting. On the take and does NOT care about the people in the suburbs as he is pushing to have our nice area turned into industrial so 1-Savannah gets more taxes and 2-If you’re a contractor on a project here you WILL give this disgusting Mayor kickbacks!
Challange
October 29, 2023 at 12:37 pm
Ridicules !!! Eliminate the “Placeholder” and simply tell the speeder he must appear in Court because of the excessive speed (90 in a 55 Zone) !!!!
Rick J
December 26, 2023 at 9:47 am
Let the clown sweat it out. He was purposely exceeding the limit by 35 mph! But frankly, a more realistic placeholder – say maybe $5000 – would probably be even more effective and make him sweat even more. When the speed limit is exceeded by such a large margin, I think the penalty should include loss of the driver’s license for at least a month.