March 29, 2024

Iowa trooper convicted of speeding with governor

WEBSTER CITY (AP) — A trooper has been convicted of speeding while driving Gov. Terry Branstad after declining to fight a citation.

Steven Lawrence opted not to challenge the $181.50 ticket Tuesday in Hamilton County for driving 84 mph in a 65-mph zone on Highway 20 in April.

The Des Moines Register reports the ticket has been paid.

Lawrence was ticketed three months after the April 26 incident in which he was transporting Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. A trooper responded to a complaint of a speeding SUV but didn’t stop the vehicle after seeing it was “Car 1,” the governor’s state-assigned vehicle.

The Iowa State Patrol disciplined and ticketed Lawrence last month, only after audio and video of the incident were released and the case created political controversy for Branstad.