NH man gets DC speeding ticket 56 years after 1st and only visit

WASHINGTON — A New Hampshire man who visited the District for the first and last time in 1961 received a surprise in the mail this past week.

He was given a $100 speeding ticket that said he was going 12 miles over the speed limit in D.C. at the beginning of April, CBS Boston reported.

But the only time 88-year-old Ray Turmelle has ever been in the nation’s capital was when his drum and bugle corps marched in an event decades ago.

“We paraded for Kennedy’s inauguration. The only time I’ve been to Washington, D.C.,” Turmelle told CBS Boston.

When he received the ticket in the mail, he said he couldn’t believe it.

A closer look at the ticket, which came from an automated system, had captured the speeding plate, which read “SUMMIT” and showed an American flag.

Turmelle’s license plate also reads “SUMMIT,” but shows the old man of the mountain.

In addition, while the speeding car had an “H” logo for Honda, Turmelle owned a Subaru.

“It cannot be me is right!” he said.

The Rochester native has contacted D.C. authorities over the mistake, and has no plans to fork over the cash.

“Hell no. And it’s $200 if I don’t pay it so I told them to come over and get it,” he said.

The D.C. Department of Transportation had not responded to CBS Boston’s request for comment as of April 29.

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