A driver who received a speeding ticket for going 1 km/h over the limit is apologizing to local law enforcement for the attention the story’s received.
Mathieu Gagne posted on his Facebook page, “I do apologize to every law enforcement I know and do not know. I didn’t mean for this story to have a huge impact and make you feel degraded by everyone. I just want this story to die off and move on.”
Gagne received a $78 fine last Friday from a peace officer for travelling 101 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.
READ MORE: Alberta driver gets speeding ticket for going 1 km/h over limit
The following day his girlfriend, Larissa Turnbull posted on the Facebook page “Edmonton Area Radar Sightings” about the incident and included a photo of the ticket.
The post spread quickly on the social media platform, getting shared over 2,500 times and receiving more than 5,000 comments. Many of the comments were negative against law enforcement.
On Monday, Sturgeon County said it had dropped the fine against Gagne and released a statement:
“After reviewing the dash camera video, an Enforcement Services Supervisor has determined that the driver did exceed the speed limit by an estimated 10-15 km per/hour while passing the peace officer, who was travelling at the maximum of the posted limit. However, as the driver’s speed was estimated and not measured by radar/laser as indicated on the ticket, Sturgeon County will rescind the ticket,” the statement read.
After the fine was rescinded, Turnbull wrote on her Facebook post, “Thank you to everyone who has supported him with this. And I appreciate everyone’s opinions on this matter.”
Sturgeon County said peace officers use discretion as well as their training and experience before issuing a warning or ticket.