A Honda Fit might not be the first car that comes to mind when you picture someone doing 90 mph through town, but an Idaho woman is accused of proving the little hatchback is perfectly capable of getting there.
According to a police booking affidavit reported by East Idaho News, 22-year-old Micah Praise McMurphy was driving a 2015 Honda Fit in Idaho Falls late on Aug. 7 when an officer spotted the car traveling considerably faster than surrounding traffic.
The officer initially estimated the Honda was doing about 75 mph. Radar reportedly recorded a much higher speed: 90 mph in a 35-mph zone.
That was only the beginning of an unusual traffic stop that would eventually include a smoking tire, a curb, and what police interpreted as an offer of $100 to make the problem go away.
Police Say Honda Fit Hit 90 MPH in a 35
The officer was near 1st Street and Meppen Drive around 11:30 p.m. when the Honda caught his attention. After radar showed 90 mph, he activated his emergency lights and followed the car onto Carol Avenue.
The Fit did stop, although the affidavit describes a rather dramatic arrival. Police estimated it turned onto Carol Avenue at about 44 mph before striking the curb. The officer reported seeing smoke coming from the tires and smelling burning rubber.
McMurphy was ordered out of the Honda and questioned about her speed. When asked why she had been going 90 mph, she reportedly said she had been doing 60 mph. That still would have put her 25 mph above the posted 35 mph limit.
Asked why she had been driving recklessly, McMurphy reportedly responded that she wasn’t.
Then Came the $100 Conversation
The exchange took another turn when McMurphy reportedly told the officer she could “flip” them $100 to let her go.
The wording matters. According to the affidavit, when the officer asked whether she was offering a $100 bill, McMurphy said no, but added that she could.
That distinction quickly became one of the biggest points of debate among people reacting to the story online. One commenter argued that nearly 15 years of potential prison exposure sounded extreme when the reported exchange amounted to, “I’m not offering you a $100 but I could.” Another simply concluded, “She said she wasn’t offering but could offer…innocent.”
Whether that exchange legally amounts to bribery is a question for the criminal case, not the Facebook comments. The affidavit reflects the officer’s account of what happened, and charges are accusations rather than proof of guilt.
Yes, a 2015 Honda Fit Can Actually Go 90 MPH
There was another question readers seemed determined to settle: Can a Honda Fit even go 90 mph?
“How did that Honda Fit even go 90mph?? Something ain’t adding up here,” one commenter wrote. Another was more definitive: “Honda Fits can’t do 90.”
They can.
The 2015 Honda Fit sold in the United States used a 1.5-liter four-cylinder producing 130 horsepower. Car and Driver tested a 2015 Fit EX with a six-speed manual and recorded a governor-limited top speed of 118 mph. The magazine’s test car reached 90 mph in about 18 seconds and 100 mph in 23.2 seconds.
So while 90 mph in a Fit may have surprised some commenters, it is comfortably within the car’s capabilities. The considerably bigger problem in this case is where police say it happened: on a road with a 35 mph speed limit.
Readers Had Plenty to Say About the Stop
The combination of the speed, the smoking tire, and McMurphy reportedly denying that she was driving recklessly gave commenters plenty to work with.
One person summed up the scene this way: “‘I am NOT driving recklessly,’ Curbed car smoking in the background…”
Others focused on the alleged offer itself. One joked that if someone was going to attempt a bribe, “$1000 at least” would be a more serious starting point. Another imagined the exchange as a driver responding to a fine by offering the officer $100 cash instead.
There was also skepticism about the severity of the potential punishment. The nearly 15-year figure represents possible maximum exposure associated with the charges, not a sentence that has already been imposed. What McMurphy actually faces will depend on how the case proceeds and, if there is a conviction, how any sentence is ultimately imposed.
McMurphy has been charged with crimes, but that does not mean she has been found guilty. She is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.