A Fargo man faces a speeding charge after the North Dakota Highway Patrol clocked him going 115 mph in a 75-mph zone.
Thomas Alan Ertelt, 55, was driving a 2000 Cadillac STS on Interstate 94 near Valley City, N.D., on Jan. 10 when he was stopped, according to Barnes County District Court records.
The citation carries a $200 fine.
The fine has not been paid and Ertelt has not indicated to the court whether he wants a hearing, according to court records.
Speeds of more than 100 mph are seen periodically, according to Lt. Kelly Rodgers of the Highway Patrol in Bismarck.
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"Last summer (a citation for)176 mph was issued, so this isn't too bad compared to that one," Rodgers said, adding the citation last summer involved a motorcycle.
The fine in that case was more than $500, Rodgers said.
Ertelt was stopped after authorities were alerted by a citizen's call.
Trooper Steve Johnson of the Highway Patrol's Grand Forks office was on his way to a seminar in Bismarck when he spotted Ertelt's vehicle approaching him from behind and documented its speed at 115 mph, said Sgt. Troy Hischer, Johnson's supervisor.
Ertelt was going about 86 mph when he passed Johnson's marked patrol car, waving to the trooper as he went by, Hischer said.
After he was stopped, Ertelt told Johnson he was going to the Valley City hospital to donate blood for an emergency, but the trooper called the hospital and was told there was no such need, Hischer said.
Hischer added that emergencies don't necessarily justify speeding and troopers themselves pause to consider whether rushing to a scene warrants the risk.
"Your chances of serious injury at those speeds increase dramatically if you are involved in an accident," he said.
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"If it's a two-vehicle accident, the people who are struck by a vehicle going that fast ... the devastation is unbelievable," Hischer said.
Efforts were made to contact Ertelt for comment Wednesday but a phone listing for him could not be found.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Olson at (701) 241-5555
