The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld the fine against a dancer at a strip club who claimed she was speeding out of fear for her life. A Dallas County deputy in an unmarked patrol car observed a car turn around behind him and take off at a high rate of speed near the Beach Girls strip club in December of 2011.
The deputy followed the car and clocked it on radar at ninety-nine miles an hour in a 55-mile-an-hour zone before stopping it. The driver of the car, Jennifer Wasson, said she was speeding because she thought the driver in the car was her ex-boyfriend or a customer stalking her and she was afraid for her life. Wasson appealed the $362 fine.
A magistrate ruled that Wasson didn’t prove she was in immediate danger and needed to speed. The Court of Appeals agreed, ruling there is no substantial evidence that Wasson was in immediate danger without other options to protect herself. The court said for instance, she could have used her cell phone to call for help, or could have returned to the strip club to seek help instead of speeding away.
Here’s the full ruling: Wasson ruling PDF