Candidate for Sheriff Was in a Hurry to Get to Parade

A candidate for sheriff in eastern Nebraska was ticketed for speeding after he was spotted driving over 100 mph. An Omaha police report says George Merithew was going 107mph in a 65mph zone along Interstate 80 in Omaha on Saturday morning, the AP reports. He was on his way to campaign at a Cinco de Mayo parade. Merithew wasn't undercover: The police report says he was wearing a "Merithew for Sheriff" T-shirt when he was pulled over, per KMTV.

Merithew provided his license and registration when the officer asked, the report says, then showed his retired Omaha police ID badge. He worked for the Omaha department for 25 years before retiring. His campaign said later that he showed his retired police ID badge as part of notifying the officer that he was armed. The campaign acknowledged in a statement that Merithew was speeding but said he complied with the officer before he received the $300 ticket and "will now exercise the same rights every other citizen has to deal with the citation." Merithew is on the Republican primary ballot Tuesday.

(More speeding ticket stories.)