Douglas County Sheriff candidate ticketed going 107 mph in 65 mph zone

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Police ticketed George Merithew, a Republican candidate running for Douglas County Sheriff, for excessive speeding.

According to the citation issued by Omaha Police, around 9 a.m. Saturday George Merithew was clocked going 107 mph in a 65 mph zone on I-80 near 50th Street.

Merithew, 55, is a retired lieutenant with the Omaha Police Department. He’s running against Omaha Police Sgt. Aaron Hanson in the Republican primary for Douglas County Sheriff. The primary is on Tuesday.

According to the citation, the responding officer said the driver had on a “Merithew for Sheriff shirt and was on his way to the Cinco De Mayo parade in South Omaha.” The responding officer also indicated he was “unaware of the identity of the vehicle driver or vehicle owner prior to stopping the vehicle.”

The ticket, which comes with a $300 fine, states Merithew was driving a 2020 BMW convertible and there was a young passenger.

The officer wrote that Merithew showed him his retired Omaha Police badge after he asked if everything was correct on his license and paperwork for the vehicle.

6 News reached out to Merithew for a response. Friday evening he declined to comment on the speeding, but did note he was concerned about how the ticket became public knowledge.

On the George Merithew for Sheriff Facebook Page in the comments of a post made Saturday morning, Merithew made the following statements from several comments:

“I was speeding. Like thousands of other drivers, I was stopped, complied with the officer and was issued a citation. I will now exercise the same rights every other citizen has to deal with a citation.”

“I am trained in high-speed pursuit driving and at no time did I endanger anyone.”

As well, a video recorded Friday features Merithew cutting down a political sign of another Douglas County Sheriff candidate - Aaron Hanson. Merithew says the property owner gave him a call because the sign was “illegal.”

In the video, Merithew is heard saying: " It’s important to have a sheriff that follows the rules.”

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