A man in Georgia, United States was stunned after receiving a $1.4 million speeding ticket(Placeholder) for exceeding the speed limit by 35mph (miles per hour). According to The Independent, Connor Cato was driving home on September 2 when Georgia state police pulled him over for going 90 miles per hour in a 55-mile-per-hour zone. While he expected a big fine, he was taken aback when he was charged with a seven-figure sum.
Mr Cato approached the court, presuming the $1.4 million fine was a typo, according to the site. He was, however, urged to pay the fine or appear in court in December. Mr Cato told Savannah’s WSAV-TV that he was promised by city workers that the charge was a “placeholder” that was generated by computer software.
“‘$1.4 million,’ the lady told me on the phone. I said, ‘This might be a typo’ and she said, ‘No sir, you either pay the amount on the ticket or you come to court on December 21 at 1.30 pm,'” Mr Cato said, as per the outlet.
A spokeswoman for Savannah’s city administration revealed that Mr Cato received a “Placeholder” fine
A spokeswoman for Savannah’s city administration revealed that Mr Cato received a “placeholder” fine, which means he will never have to pay the substantial amount. According to officials, the startling statistic was obtained by an e-citation issued by the local Recorder’s Court that is automatically issued to “super speeders” – anyone caught traveling more than 35 miles over the speed limit.
According to the officials, the maximum punishment is $1,000. At the necessary court appearance in December, a judge will now determine the actual fine.
“We do not issue that placeholder as a threat to scare anybody into court, even if this person heard differently from somebody in our organization,” Joshua Peacock, a spokesman for Savannah’s city government, said as per the New York Post.
“The programmers who designed the software used the largest number possible because super speeder tickets are a mandatory court appearance and do not have a fine amount attached to them when issued by police,” he added.
Mr Cato must now appear in court since he was still exceeding the speed limit. Meanwhile, city officials said they are working to change the placeholder language in e-citations to avoid future confusion.
