Last July, a Washington Nationals player was accused of driving at least 105 mph on an on-ramp to Interstate 495 in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Virginia State Police reportedly followed Jayson Werth for about half a mile before pulling him over on a stretch of highway where the speed limit is 55 mph.
Mr. Werth Faces Stiff Sentence for His Actions
According to the Washington Post, Mr. Werth will serve five days in jail and have his Virginia driver’s license suspended for 30 days. Mr. Werth was convicted of reckless driving after a trial in Fairfax County General District Court in December 2014. He appealed his conviction and was scheduled to go to trial in circuit court during February 2015. However, instead of going to trial at the circuit court level, he decided to plead guilty and accept a plea deal. This is Mr. Werth’s first offense in Virginia.
Jayson Werth will serve his sentence on weekends so that he can continue his rehabilitation work following surgery and so that he can continue training for the 2015 baseball season.
Virginia Takes Reckless Driving Charges Seriously
It is a criminal offense to drive 80 mph or faster in Virginia, and drivers who are found to be driving 100 mph or faster almost always get jail time. Some General District Court judges in Fairfax have a policy of sentencing drivers to two days in jail for every mile per hour over 90 mph, plus an additional thirty days for driving over 100 mph. Thus, someone who is convicted of driving at 105 mph could face 60 days in jail: thirty days for being 15 mph over 90 mph, and an additional 30 days for being over 100 mph.
For more information on reckless driving, please read our free guide, The Shocking Truth About Reckless Driving Speeding in Virginia.