TURBEVILLE, S.C. (AP) – A class-action lawsuit has been filed against the Clarendon County town of Turbeville for its practice of charging speeders under an ordinance that allows the town to keep the fines rather than the state.
The State newspaper in Columbia reports the lawsuit filed by three law firms seeks nullification of Turbeville’s town safety ordinance. It also seeks the return of millions of dollars to drivers who received such tickets since 2003, when the local ordinance was passed.
The ordinance allows Turbeville to write traffic tickets with higher fines than state traffic tickets.
Turbeville administrator Rodney Johnson declined to comment to the newspaper. In 2013, Turbeville police chief David Jones said the fines were intended to “shock the conscious” of speeding drivers who could endanger the safety of residents.