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Prince George's Councilwoman Given Only A Warning For Driving Nearly Twice The Speed Limit

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (WJZ) -- Getting off with only a warning. That's what police say happened to a Prince George's County councilwoman after she was caught going double the speed limit on the Capitol Beltway.

Andrea Fujii has more.

Police say County Councilwoman Karen Toles was going 105 miles an hour. Now her constituents want to know why she wasn't ticketed.

The speed limit is 55 mile an hour but police say on Feb. 22, County Councilwoman Karen Toles was driving nearly double that in a county vehicle.

"The in-car camera speed did indicate 105 miles per hour. That was the speed the officer was driving to catch up," said Prince George's County Assistant Police Chief Kevin Davis.

Police did issue a ticket for an unsafe lane change but only gave a warning for speed.

"The police officer didn't have enough time and space to establish the pace of the car that he eventually pulled over," Davis said.

They also say the officer's speedometer was not calibrated.

Toles, who refused to speak with reporters, has said she was late for an appointment that day and regrets the incident.

But that doesn't comfort her west Prince George's County constituents.

"I just don't think that it's fair and I'd have to give it a second thought when it comes time for a re-election," said District Heights resident Rosalind Banks.

"What happens if she took someone's life? Is it worth it?" said Capitol Heights resident Louis Felton.

And court records show this isn't her first violation. Since 2009, she's received six traffic citations, including driving off the road when passing another vehicle.

The incident is under police review but they say they did everything by the book.

"Preliminarily, we don't believe this police officer afforded anyone any special treatment," Davis said.

We left multiple messages with Toles' office but did not receive a call back.

An internal review of the incident will begin next week. The officer who conducted the traffic stop is a 14-year veteran of the force.

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