Theft of services charges used against #1 violator in Delaware

Delaware DOT's #1 toll violator has been caught and charged with felony theft of services (TOS) for $4,748 in evaded tolls and another approximate $30k of unpaid fees and penalties. Frank Maier, 55, an independent truck driver out of Abingdon Maryland was running a tractor trailer between the Baltimore area and New Jersey on a regular basis using an inactive license plate on his trailers and barrelling through the E-ZPass Only lanes without a transponder at the I-95 toll plaza, Newark DE.

633 toll evasions were recorded in 33 months between January 2005 and October 2007.

Early last year the DOT got state attorney's advice that when unpaid tolls and penalties exceed $1,000 they could charge felony theft of services, rather than the usual moving violation misdemeanor charge for toll evasion under state law.

State police and the DOT are cooperating ina campaign to catch serial toll evaders.

Maier was served with a warrant and turned himself in. He was released on bond of $2000. It is the third theft of services charge since the program began but the largest.

DelDOT Toll Operations Manager PJ Wilkins is quoted: “Working with State Police on this toll evasion enforcement effort has helped limit the loss of toll revenue that is so important to the operation of our statewide transportation system. The public has an expectation that violators be held accountable, and we are doing our best to do that.”

We tried to call Maier but he has an unpublished number.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-04-17