Caught driving 97 mph in a 55 mph zone, speeding lawmaker goes from zero to stupidity Opinion: Not only was Arizona Rep. Paul Mosley caught going 97 mph in a 55 mph zone, but he bragged of going even faster.

EJ Montini | The Republic | azcentral.com

Republican state Rep. Paul Mosley was pulled over by a La Paz County Sheriff’s deputy in March doing 97 mph in a 55 mph zone just outside of Parker.

The lawmaker then bragged to the deputy that he has driven at speeds of up to 140 mph in his Lexus LS 400.

All this after arrogantly pulling out what he believed to be his get-out-of-jail-free card, the fact that, under Arizona law, “Members of the legislature shall be privileged from arrest in all cases except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, and they shall not be subject to any civil process during the session of the legislature, nor for fifteen days next before the commencement of each session.”

The story of the incident was reported recently on the ParkerLive website, complete with video from the officer’s body camera.

Fast but not furious

In his report the deputy who pulled over Mosley wrote, “I explained the reason for the stop to Mosley and asked if there was any reason he was traveling so fast. I informed Mosley that 97 mph in a 55 mph zone is considered criminal speed. Mosley stated he was just in a hurry to get home to surprise his family in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Mosley also told me that I should just let him go and that I shouldn’t waste anymore of my time dealing with him due to his immunity as a government official.”

This is what happens to some people when they get into politics.

They go from zero to stupid in a split second.

Mosley’s full throttle admission of even further potentially criminal behavior included telling the deputy about having driven a LOT faster than 97 mph.

Kicking potential trouble into high gear

Or, as the deputy recounted, he asked Mosley, “You were driving 130 earlier, you said?”

To which Mosley, his mouth in overdrive while his brain was stuck in first gear (or maybe reverse), replied, “Yeah, I go 130, 140, 120. I come down I-10, I was going 120 almost, you know, if there was no traffic.”

The incident was reported to La Paz County Attorney’s Office, which passed it along to the Cochise County Attorney’s Office, where, hopefully, prosecutors are not spinning their wheels.

Previous trip around the bend

This isn’t the first time Mosley has made the news for something less than positive.

He is the lawmaker who last year said, "The number one thing I would like to repeal is the law on compulsory education."

Now, having been caught driving like a cliché out of hell he seems to have proven the old adage:

Bad news travels fast.

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