Military driving in Virginia

Anyone here end up with a misdemeanor for traveling 80mph in Virginia? I was stationed in Virginia back in 1999 and got pulled over and got a ticket for doing 83mph. I paid the incredibly expensive ticket and went on with life. A few years later, I learned that doing 80mph (regardless of the speed limit) is not a traffic offense but a class A misdemeanor and that paying the ticket was a guilty plea. Anyway... I think young soldiers should be made aware that 80mph in Virginia is a crime.