A motorcyclist who passed an officer in a "no passing zone" and popped a wheelie while speeding down a Clay County road was among more than 16,580 motorists cited during a two-week speeding enforcement campaign in July.
The 21-year-old motorcyclist was going as fast as 155 miles per hour and ran a stop sign in the northwestern Minnesota town of Sabin on July 16 before pulling over in the parking lot of an antique mall on the outskirts of Moorhead, according to a criminal complaint charging him with felony fleeing of a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
Dustyn Lee Galbreath, of Kindred, N.D. was one of 16 drivers who were clocked and cited for going more than 100 miles per hour during the campaign, which ran July 7 to 31. He was by far the fastest, but a driver in Rice County was ticketed for going 121 miles per hour while another in McLeod County was tagged at 120 miles per hour.
Fewer drivers were tagged for triple-digit speeds this year than last when there were 19, but the overall number of drivers stopped for speeding in 2017 rose by more than 3,000 compared to the 13,214 last year, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety said.
Using more than $570,000 in overtime funds provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 300 agencies across the state participated in the enforcement campaign. Some juristictions gave out more than others.
The State Patrol handed out 4,330 tickets. Among local agencies the St. Paul Police Department issued 775 tickets, followed by Edina at 573, Minneapolis Police 421, Ramsey County Sheriff's Office 412, Wright County Sheriff's Office 349, Eden Prairie Police 243 and Bloomington Police 232.
