Janklow's driving record scrutinized after crash (12 tickets/4 years)

[Nambe]

PIERRE, South Dakota (AP)

Rep. Bill Janklow has paid more speeding tickets than many people get in a lifetime: a dozen in a four-year period in the 1990s. -

Janklow's heavy accelerator foot is legendary with state employees who rode with him when he was governor and reporters who tagged along during disasters. Just last summer, two reporters were riding with Janklow when he made a 99 mph mad dash, through heavy smoke, down a mountain highway in the Black Hills during a raging forest fire.

Fleeing the area before the blaze made the most direct escape route inaccessible, Janklow tried to go faster, but the computer in his sport utility vehicle kept the engine from going past 99 mph.

State court records show that Janklow got 12 speeding tickets in 11 South Dakota counties from 1990 to 1994 and paid more than $1,000 in fines. He often drove 15 mph to 20 mph faster than legal speed limits and once got caught going 90 mph in a 65-mph zone. -

Janklow got several speeding tickets during his first term as governor. He was warned in 1982 that he was in danger of losing his license after being stopped for going 80 mph in a 55-mph zone in Turner County. Janklow had received a similar warning in 1979 during his first year in office.

[kainah]

1. OK then, charge him with vehicular homicide

Clearly, then, this is a pattern of reckless driving that can be documented and for which he should have long ago been held accountable. Now that it's led to someone's death, it's time for him to pay the price.

[RDANGELO]

2. This guy is a lot more than just a bad driver.

He is a Native American hater who has been accused of raping an Indian woman who turned up dead.

[kaos]

3. The Link to the article in question

http://www.dlncoalition.org/dln_issues/jancitaeagledeer.htm

[dArKeR]

14. Thanks for this link. Go after Skakel and not Janklow!

[LiberalFighter]

4. Way too many tickets!!

nt

[dflprincess]

5. Geez

my sister-in-law just had her license suspended for 30 days because of 2 unpaid parking tickets she didn't know my niece got with the car that's in the sister-in-law's name. (You can bet the kid is lucky she's heading back to college at the end of the month.)

[w4rma]

6. Lots of cops giving out speeding tickets during disasters? Not.

Janklow's heavy accelerator foot is legendary with state employees who rode with him when he was governor and reporters who tagged along during disasters. Just last summer, two reporters were riding with Janklow when he made a 99 mph mad dash, through heavy smoke, down a mountain highway in the Black Hills during a raging forest fire.

[bluestateguy]

7. Karl Rove is going to harass him out of the race next year

Much like he did to Judy Martz, Darrel Issa, Peter Fitzgerald and countless others.

[kainah]

15. To replace him with whom?

Stephanie Herseth was a good candidate for the Dems last time around. I hope she'll consider running again.

[mndemocrat_29]

18. She's said she'd run if Janklow and Thune both turned down races

She'd win

[lanlady]

8. also made CNN

here's the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Central/08/18/janklow.accident.ap/index.html

Am I crazy, or has this Rethug been getting kid glove treatment? He should be charged with homicide. Was he also drunk?

[kainah]

17. Not that it matters, really

but the reports say there was "no evidence that drugs or alcohol were involved." That, of course, makes precious little difference if you're driving as recklessly as he apparently does. As Don says (below), the Black Hills are not an area you can safely drive through at anything about 45-50 most of the time. The curves come fast and they're sharp and most of them are blind.

[LizW]

9. After the third speeding ticket in 2 years

my husband had to go before a judge, endure a public chewing out, pay the fine plus court costs, and pay through-the-roof car insurance until he'd kept a clean record for five years. And he didn't fight the ticket, all that is standard procedure, even if you just want to plead guilty.

How does Janklow still have a drivers license? Has he been getting special treatment in his state because of his office? Why do the cops bother to give him the tickets at all?

[maxanne]

11. they stopped giving him tickets in 1994

"State court records show that Janklow got 12 speeding tickets in 11 South Dakota counties from 1990 to 1994 and paid more than $1,000 in fines. He often drove 15 mph to 20 mph faster than legal speed limits and once got caught going 90 mph in a 65-mph zone.

However, Janklow has not been ticketed for speeding since October 1994, just before he was elected to his third term as governor. He served as governor from 1979-1986 and 1995-2002 before being elected to the state's lone House seat last year.

The court records, dating to 1989, also show he was fined in 1992 for following too closely. Records from previous years are not listed in the computer system."

Sounds like they stopped giving him tickets when he became governor. This does not sound like a man who would choose voluntarily to modify his own behavior.

The stop sign at the intersection was for him. He must have barged right on through.

It's also no surprise he's upset - he might finally have to pay for one of his crimes, the evil bastard. I bet he's shitting his pants.

[coda]

20. They don't have diversion programs in Bama?

They're the only way for some people to keep driving....and a great source of extra revenue for counties.

[Mari333]

10. He just LOOKS like an arrogant prick doesnt he?

[oasis]

24. I see a future for him at MSNBC. They hired disgraced Joe Scarborough

after he choose not to run again for his house seat, citing "family" concerns.

[bluestateguy]

12. The Ethics Committee MUST investigate!

We need to go back to the days when individual citizens could file Ethics Committee complaints.

[NNN0LHI]

13. I have spent much time driving all through the Black Hills...

...which are really mountains. I cannot remember any road there where I would have ever considered going over 45 to 50 miles per hour with good visibility. There are little signs all over that the state has erected all along the roadways with just a black cross on them indicating where someone has recently died in car accidents. The signs are there to make people think about how dangerous these roads are. This guy is a maniac if he was driving 99 miles an hour there with low visability.

Don

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

16. Did I mention...

...that his behavior as a youth was so bad, the judge ordered him to either go to jail or the Marine Corps? Yep, Janklow has ever since been a firm believer in corporal punishment for any kid that makes a mistake or shoplifts candy. His programs for rehabilitating wayward youth were directly responsible for Gina Score's death at a "boot camp" type program, she was an overweight(226 lb) teenage girl, forced to run 2.7 miles in high humidity and heat, she died of hyperthermia, her body had a temperature of 108 degrees when brought into the hospital, after laying in the sun for a few hours before the facility head would allow an ambulance to be called.

<snip>

Gina Score...at that time stood five foot four and three-quarters
inches and weighed 226 pounds. Her first physical training run commenced shortly before 7 a.m. on July 21, 1999....told the nurse that Score was a behavior problem and was faking her injuries. The nurse concluded that Score might be hyperventilating, and retrieved some paper bags to use for treatment of hyper-ventilation. The nurse returned a second time with the bags and then removed herself to
CG11 the P.A. Safety Officer Layne, about 9:30 a.m contacted Don Johnson, Program Manager
and reported that she had a "behavior problem." Nurse Fett arrived at the scene shortly after 10 a.m. S.T.S. Superintendent Ramsey and Program Manager Johnson arrived about 10:30 a.m. Shortly thereafter P.A. Cody, and Dr. Kleinsasser arrived. P.A. Cody and Kleinsasser arranged for the calling of an ambulance.

<snip>

<http://www.teenliberty.org/GinaScore.htm>

<http://www.state.sd.us/corrections/Score.htm>

<http://www.nospank.net/score.htm>

...but by then it was too late.

Score family settles for $1.25 million: <http://www.argusleader.com/specialsections/2001/topstories/story20.shtml>



on edit: added more links

[AP]

19. I'd love to know who his insurance company is, how much they've

donated to him, whether they've raised his premiums, and, if not, whether they declare it as political contribution.

Why do Republicans think the law of man doesn't apply to them?

[NNN0LHI]

21. Did they ever get the alcohol/drug tests back for this guy?

Its been three days now. Really dragging their feet on releasing the results for some reason? Hmmmm.

Don

[wellstone_democrat]

22. He's also know locally to "drink"

Lots of in-laws up there (and a good portion are Repub) ALL of them detest him. The Republican gang of them because they think he "isn't a very good man"---why? His driving "problems" and his drinking are well known. They also all feel he thinks he's above the law.

This came up last summer while we were visiting near Sioux Falls and a car (big luxury sedan) came BLASTING down the secondary road in front of the cousin's farm. Someone joked: Must be Bill Janklow! My question about the joke got me an earful. His driving is legendary, his power equally so and all of them thought he was (and I quote): "a drunk to boot!"
My husband's grandmother said: He'll kill someone someday. His uncle looked at her and said: Well, I guarantee he won't pay for it.

How creepy is that?

[JNelson6563]

23. If this were a Dem

Faux News would be outside his door 24/7 and we'd know if he punched someone in the nose in 3rd. grade.

Remarkable.

Julie