BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT --
The 175 drivers who were mistakenly cited for speeding on Ky. 9, after an incorrect speed-limit sign was posted, have had their records cleared and fines repaid.
Last month, Campbell District Court Judge Karen Thomas ruled the posted 35-mph speed limit on northbound Ky. 9 near Overlook Drive was incorrect. She ordered that all charges be dismissed against drivers, all fines and court costs already paid be reimbursed and points added to motorists' driving records be removed.
"A flat-out release'
"The checks went out on (April) 6 or 7," Judge Thomas said Wednesday. "We also sent letters to the ones who hadn't paid a fine yet. It was a flat-out release."
Tom Calme, Campbell Circuit and District Court Clerk, said court workers spent 80 to 90 hours straightening out the mess, after a Newport police officer ordered an incorrect speed limit sign posted late last year.
Newport Police Lt. Steve Foster said last month he thought the state had set a 35-mph speed limit for the area. But the state had designated the speed limit as 45 mph in 1996.
The error was caught in mid-March when a Butler woman cited for going 45 mph took to court the state Transportation Cabinet order setting a 45-mph speed limit.
"It was a lot of paperwork, but we think we've gotten them all," Mr. Calme said. "Everybody that was on our list should have gotten a check or a letter."
Of those cited, 141 received refunds totaling $10,537, Mr. Calme said. Thirty-four other motorists who had not yet paid were told not to, as their citations would be dismissed.
Another 30 motorists who had already paid the $15 registration fee for State Traffic School have been refunded that fee.
Mr. Calme said those who have not attended the school will not be required to attend.
