Berger pleads guilty to reckless driving

Associated Press ^ | 11-29-2005 | AP Wire

[Thanatos]

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) -- Former national security adviser Sandy Berger pleaded guilty Tuesday to reckless driving after an officer clocked him at 88 mph in a 55-mph zone. A judge fined him $250.

Berger did not speak during his brief appearance before Judge Richard Horan in Fairfax County General District Court. His lawyer entered the guilty plea on his behalf.

[Nalu]

Actually He violated his probation by breaking the law.
We need to press for his probation to be revoked and for him to due jail time.

[massgopguy]

What took you so long?

[daviscupper]

The judge was sort of in a bind. See, Sandy Burglar stole top secret documents, destroyed them and then lied about. For these transgressions he received a warning: "Please don't do that again."

So it is kind of difficult to justify a harsh fine for Sandy Burglar when the only crime he committed this time was speeding. In fact, the judge was probably being a little too harsh.

[freema]

Libby and DeLay should request that judge.
Cunningham should have.

[freema]

Have you ever seen this? Look for this judge.
http://www.kentimmerman.com/2004_02_04flatow.htm

[griswold3]

Damn!! No one emailed me!!

[tanknetter]

$250 seems a little light for 33 mph over the limit. Maybe I don't get stopped often enough to know however.

These kinds of things happen regularly in VA, where hitting 80mph or so (which a lot of times amounts to just keeping pace with the rest of the traffic) brings the reckless driving charge into play.

My experiences with this (a couple of friends, one of my in-laws and a now-former girlfriend have been busted under this law ... I haven't, thankfully, yet) are that a $250 fine is a little on the heavy side. Everyone I know who has been in Burgler's situation has gone into court and pled the charges down ... and only been put on probation (of some sort) and had to attend traffic school.

[El Gato]

Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson

Magistrate Judge Robinson was sworn in as United States Magistrate on July 18, 1988.  She is a graduate of Morgan State University and Emory University School of Law.  Magistrate Judge Robinson clerked for Chief Judge H. Carl Moultrie I of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 1978 to 1979.  Following her clerkship, she joined the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she served for eight years prior to her appointment.

1988 == Republican appointee (Reagan) 1979 == Carter era appointment in US Attorney's office.

Either way the Burglar should be making little ones out of big ones.

[El Gato]

$250 seems a little light for 33 mph over the limit. Maybe I don't get stopped often enough to know however

It's low, note the story says: "The misdemeanor reckless driving charge carried a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.".

You or I would have paid the $2,500 and if lucky been placed on probation for that year, or perhaps spent our weekends for the next year in the lockup.

[El Gato]

He seems to be working to self-destruct. I wonder what he'll do next.

There's always interns and pages.

[rightinthemiddle]

Excellent!

[Wally_Kalbacken]

What's his ride? To match his sense of self importance it would have to be a Maybach.

[rightinthemiddle]

AMC Ambassador

[BostonianRightist]

...an officer clocked him at 88 mph in a 55-mph zone.

So he was going 88mph on a high way? Why make it sound like he's a school zone or residential zone?

What's the big deal with going 88 on high way? In Boston that's called "keeping up with the flow of traffic".

[Michael.SF.]

Speeding wastes Gasoline

Crossing from California into Nevada on I 80 I once was pulled over (I was doing 80 in a 65). Instead of a speeding ticket, the officer "cut me a break" and I got a ticket for "wasting fuel" the fine was $25.00. I always thought that was a stupid ticket, but I sure was glad it was on the books! This was about seven years ago, perhaps Nevada's laws have changed.

[Jersey Republican Biker Chick]

LOL, He'll get another slap on the wrist, no doubt.

Sandy Burglar PING!!

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

My wife was doing 82 in a 65 zone on I-95 in Alexandria, me in the backseat. The nice young state trooper told that any thing more than 15 mph over the limit in VA is "reckless driving by speed" and subject to a $2,500 ticket. He wrote her up for 79. Why does Berger only get $250 for 88 in a 55, 33 mph over the limit?

[george76]

[Just A Nobody]

OMGosh.....what a tangled web! I had not seen this, but is saved now. Thanks!