Florida man straps light pole on his Toyota. He’s charged with grand theft, FHP says
A 71-year-old man is facing a grand theft charge after troopers say he strapped a downed light pole to the roof of his Toyota Camry and attempted to trade it in at a recycling center for money.
Douglas Hatley, of Lakeland, was being held Monday night in a Hillsborough County jail on a $2,000 bond.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a witness called the Tampa Bay Regional Communications Center to report that there was a man who loaded a light pole onto his maroon sedan on the side of the westbound lanes of Interstate 4 in Tampa.
The witness, who was following from a distance, provided a detailed account of where the Camry was headed, according to Hatley’s police report.
“I observed a light pole attached to the roof of the car with what seemed to be telephone wire,” the trooper wrote in the arrest report. “While speaking to Mr. Hatley he explained that he did in fact find the downed light pole on the side of the Interstate and was attempting to turn it in as scrap metal for money.”
He then told the trooper that he was “unaware” that it was illegal to take a fallen light pole.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 11:13 PM.
