Time and technology finally caught up with a Georgia man who called district court to pay up on a speeding ticket he received in 1987.

Rodney L. Lee was 22 years old when he was pulled over for doing 77 in a 55-mph zone two miles north of Durham. Lee listed his address as 49th Ordnance Co., Fort Riley, and provided a Georgia drivers license.

District court clerk Jan Helmer was a new traffic clerk in 1987 when she sent a letter to Lee informing him that if he didn’t pay the fine that his license would be suspended Jan. 6, 1988.

When Lee didn’t respond, Helmer followed up with a letter to Fort Riley officials, and in 1989 collection efforts were terminated.

Last week, Lee finally paid up.

“I’m going to assume he tried to get a new license or had an accident,” Helmer said. “His Georgia license has been suspended since 1998.”

Helmer said it’s not uncommon to receive payments for fines levied decades ago.

“This doesn’t faze me at all because I hae people paying 1991 tickets,” she said. “You don’t just throw a ticket away. We have everything here.”