Rep denies going 100 mph on I-40

By Tom Humphrey, Knoxville News Sentinel
February 16, 2006

NASHVILLE - State Rep. Joe McCord acknowledges that he broke the speed limit while heading down Interstate 40 to an ethics committee meeting on Monday, but denies going as fast as a camera-carrying motorist contends.

Alan Osburn, 29, of Franklin provided a video to Nashville television station WKRN of McCord's speeding pickup truck and said the legislator exceeded 100 mph.

Osburn also told the station, which broadcast the video Tuesday evening, that he began following McCord and recording with a cell-phone camera after the legislator pulled up behind him on I-40 in Putnam County and began flashing the pickup truck's headlights.

McCord, R-Maryville and former University of Tennessee rugby player, said Wednesday that he was, indeed, speeding. He was late for a Monday meeting of the House Ethics Committee at the time, McCord said.

"Yes, I was speeding. But I wasn't doing 100 mph or anything close to that," said McCord, who also denied flashing his headlights. "I may have jaywalked twice this month, too."

McCord becomes the second legislator to be caught on video while allegedly speeding down I-40. Last August, a Knoxville TV station aired a video of Senate Majority Leader Ron Ramsey, R-Blountville, allegedly going 94 mph during heavy rain. Ramsey also denied going that fast.

McCord questioned Osburn's own behavior.

"He was holding one hand out the window with his video camera and had the other on the steering wheel and was keeping up with me," McCord said. "But then I was reckless and he was not?"

McCord also contended that other vehicles passed both him and Osborn, who followed him all the way to Nashville.

Osborn told the television station he simply felt it important to have evidence of a legislator speeding. McCord has special legislative license plates on his Dodge Ram pickup.

McCord said he thought the entire matter "somewhat trivial," but bears no hard feelings and even offered a joke about the situation.

"I think I'm going to reach out and try to do something nice. I'm going to invite him to go bird hunting with me," he said.