A driver who told an Arizona Highway Patrol trooper he was traveling at “highway speeds” while within Maricopa city limits was cited this week for criminal speed and reckless driving, and had his vehicle impounded for 20 days.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, a trooper patrolling State Route 347 on Nov. 17 observed the driver going 79 mph in a posted 45-mph zone. The stop occurred near Lakeview Drive, where the speed limit drops as SR 347 transitions from rural expressway to heavily traveled city corridor.
When asked why he was driving so fast, the driver reportedly responded he believed he was traveling at “highway speeds,” DPS said.
Due to exigent circumstances, the driver was cited and released on suspicion of criminal speed and reckless driving. The vehicle was towed and held under Arizona’s 20-day impoundment law for criminal speed offenses.
No additional information about the driver was immediately released.
![Maricopa Police Chief Mark Goodman speaks to Maricopa City Council while presenting his department's annual report on April 7, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]](https://inmaricopa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GOV-Crime-Stats-by-Monica-D-Spencer-300x200.jpg)
