TAMPA, Fla. — Authorities say a Florida man has learned the hard way that a downed light pole isn’t trash that can be taken and sold for scrap.
The Florida Highway Patrol says a state trooper pulled over a car with a metal pole -- longer than the car itself -- strapped to the roof on a Tampa road Monday morning.
Florida Highway Patrol via AP
Another driver had reported the pole being taken on Interstate 4 near the Interstate 75 interchange.
The Camry’s driver, 71-year-old Douglas Allen Hatley, told troopers that he didn’t realize that it was illegal to remove broken utility and light poles from the side of the road.