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Speeding ticket makes it all the way to jury trial — Guilty verdict returned in 10 minutes

by | Sep 2, 2025

(Photo/Luke Christopher)

After just a little over 10 minutes of deliberation, a Rappahannock County Circuit Court jury found a Potomac, Md. man guilty of speeding 74 mph in a 55 mph zone after he appealed his case from District Court. 

“Look, no one likes to get a speeding ticket … I can certainly commiserate with that misfortune. That’s just life,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff said in his closing statements. “I think there’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Brian Mulholland was pulled over by Deputy Crystal Jenkins — the only witness in the case — on Nov. 24, 2024, after her radar captured his speed at 80 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 211 near Quickie Mart, according to her testimony. 

Jenkins said Mulholland was polite and respectful, and she explained to him that his speed would warrant a reckless driving misdemeanor charge. Jenkins testified that Mulholland told her he and his teenage daughter, who was in the vehicle with him, were trying to get home to Maryland. In later statements, Mulholland said they were returning from a Girl Scout camping trip.

Jenkins said she gave him a “roadside break,” and reduced the charge from reckless driving to speeding, then Mulholland fell silent. “Then the mood shifted a little bit,” she said. 

Mulholland argued in court that since there was no video or photo evidence, no log of speeds recorded on the radar and no witnesses other than Jenkins, the charge could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. He also said Jenkins’ testimony regarding the speed was inconsistent, and claimed when he was pulled over, she initially told him he was going 81 mph, and said he felt she was using a “scare tactic” on him.

“I know I was not driving that speed,” he said. 

Mulholland presented no additional evidence or witnesses. 

The jury of five women and two men retired to the jury room to consider the case, and returned with a guilty verdict. Before his appeal, Mulholland was found guilty in District Court and a fine of $114 was imposed. Judge James Plowman resentenced Mulholland to pay that fine, and added the addition of court costs that come along with a jury trial, which could be over $2,000.

Editor’s note: Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum senior editor Mary Ann Kuhn served on the jury.

Author

  • Ireland Hayes

    Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner.
    Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.
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By Ireland Hayes

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Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner. Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.