Can someone provide further details as to how this was possible? I can understand being able to avoid parking tickets for extended periods, but avoiding tolls for this long seems incredible. This woman is either exceptionally bright or the system for catching people is broken. Here is the story:

MOUNT JOY, Pa. — A woman who dodged tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 1,645 times over a five-year period will end up paying more than $12,600 for those trips.

Lori Yearick, 45, of Mount Joy, Penn., pleaded guilty, and her plea deal allows her to pay a lot less than she was originally said to owe: $92,000, thanks to the turnpike policy of charging toll dodgers the amount they would have owed had they traveled the highway’s entire length. Her trips occurred between the Harrisburg East and Mechanicsburg interchanges.

Instead, she will pay $10,149.10 in restitution (the amount her trips actually would have cost, plus the costs associated with trying to collect the tolls from her) and a $2,500 fine.

Yearick was also sentenced to 200 hours of community service and two years of probation, Penn Live reports.

Yearick, who was not an EZ Pass holder, nonetheless used the EZ Pass-only lanes between January 2012 and March 2017, LeHigh Valley Live reports.

LINK: https://wgntv.com/2018/07/20/d...lls-learns-her-fate/

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Can someone provide further details as to how this was possible? I can understand being able to avoid parking tickets for extended periods, but avoiding tolls for this long seems incredible. This woman is either exceptionally bright or the system for catching people is broken. Here is the story:

Paper/temp tags?

I guess she finally heard the bell....

quote:

I guess she finally heard the bell.

Back in the day, the Highway Patrol would chase you down if you blew through the tollgate. That was well before EZ Pass and computers.

What she did/didn't do aside, just think about those numbers for a minute. It's kind of staggering when you do. $10k just to drive on a "public" road? On top of your car registration, federal-state-local income tax, property tax, sales tax, every other little thing we can think of tax. "Our forefathers would have been shooting by now."

My ex girlfriend, who coincidentally had the same name as this offender racked up either $15 or $18,000 (can't remember which.

Under $1,000 in tolls but they tacked on over
$10,000 in fines. She didn't run the tolls, just never had money in her account when speedpass tried to debit it, she figured they'd just take it when she had money in there (which was never). They ended up garnishing her paycheck for years.

Stupid bitch. I bailed her out of payday loan, should have walked away then, but didn't. Then she got me for $10,000 in lawyers fees for fighting her ex for custody. I really, really hate her and hope she gets the karma paid back to her in triplicate. Manipulating, unhonest, and stupid - horrible combination.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
What she did/didn't do aside, just think about those numbers for a minute. It's kind of staggering when you think about it. $10k just to drive on a "public" road, on top of your federal, state, local income tax, property tax, every other little thing we can think of tax. "Our forefathers would have been shooting by now."

Route 66 going into DC is often times $40.00 one way for ten miles of travel. I think the high was $80, it's routinely $15-20 range.

I'd guess I spend about $3,000 to use roads I've already paid for and continue to also pay taxes on.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Can someone provide further details as to how this was possible?

Last line of the article explains: she didn't have an EZ Pass and went through the EZ Pass lane at the toll plazas (which do not have attendants).

They know exactly how, when, where, and how many times, but it took 5 years to nail her?

quote:

"1,645 times over a five-year period"

"between the Harrisburg East and Mechanicsburg interchanges"

"used the EZ Pass-only lanes between January 2012 and March 2017"

quote:

Last line of the article explains: she didn't have an EZ Pass and went through the EZ Pass lane at the toll plazas (which do not have attendants)

Yeah I got that. If it were that simple you would think there would be mass cheating on tolls, and tons of money owed. Explain why the powers that be let it roll on this long.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
I guess she finally heard the bell....

Too bad she doesn't live in Central Florida, SunPass, with their recent system melt down, has people so hosed up they aren't sure what they owe.

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Originally posted by bigdeal:
Too bad she doesn't live in Central Florida, SunPass, with their recent system melt down, has people so hosed up they aren't sure what they owe.

I'm not looking forward to my bill. Last time it was updated was June 6th. I drive from UCF to Windermere 5 times a week. It's going to be high...

In Northen Virginia a woman was charged 10,000 for 11 trips. “She had not properly set up the auto-renewal on her E-ZPass account. The administrative fees and penalties mounted even after she wrote a check for the original tolls. The appeal focused on four of those trips.”
However,
“Circuit Court Judge Dennis J. Smith ruled in favor of Toni Cooley because Transurban waited too long to sue her to collect unpaid tolls, fees and penalties.

Cooley’s attorney Marla Diaz argued the statute of limitations was one year. Transurban attorney Caleb Kershner argued it was two years. Smith agreed with Diaz and dismissed the four toll violations against Cooley.

The ruling could affect the outcome of two other cases against drivers Jim Diller and Stuart Holmes and dozens of other similar cases pending in District Court in which Transurban sued too late.”
https://wtop.com/fairfax-count...l-against-va-driver/

One passes a HUGE building on the PA turnpike; the Turnpike Commission Headquarters building. Beautiful , giant building. Must have cost tens of millions of dollars.

Then ride the pothole and frost heave infected road. WHERE is the money going?

The EZ pass system is great IF You are a resident of states that honor it....a PITA if you are simply driving cross country.

My buddy lives in Malvern, PA. Get off the turnpike there and the toll station is automated and ONLY accepts EZ pass. So I end up getting a nasty letter in a few weeks with a photo of my license plate and a plea for the entire $42 for driving the ENTIRE length of the system.

I have to write a letter, show my toll ticket, etc. PITA

But they can afford a huge building. Can't afford to put a machine up that will take cash or a CC at the unattended toll stations though.

A few points. Yes most of the amount is for the fines, not tolls. They have only recently become active in trying to collect for scofflaws and sending the letters, warnings, and grace periods are just now expiring.

charging toll violators
Second, the PA TP is the most expensive per mile in the country (except for the demand pricing in places like VA).

It has always been set up as separate from the PA dept of Transportation. Back when Ed Rendell was Gov (remember him?) after failing to sell TP to friends or tolls on I-80, decided to enact that the TP is required to pay 300 Million per year to general fund. Tolls now go up 6% every year.

Lastly the TP Comission has announced that they will be completely electronic in the future. Lisc photo and bill in the mail for those who do not have EZPass.

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Originally posted by FN in MT:
WHERE is the money going?

Simple actually: the money is NOT going to its intended purpose. Are you aware that every time you fly commercial, you are charged a "fee" that's supposed to go to the Aviation Trust Fund? Guess what? It doesn't. Think your Social Security deductions are going to a secure "trust fund" to later pay out to Social Security benefits? Ever heard of a Ponzi Scheme?

The system... around here anyway, is supposed to work that if you go through the EZ pass without one (or not functioning, the cameras get your plate number and they mail the registered owner a bill and/or ticket.

It worked I guess, because they've gone to that system all together in many places, no more toll booths, just cameras and they just bill you.

I can see all sorts of problems with that and wonder how the numbers will work out in the end, cost effective wise. Seems like it's a free pass to those who's car's aren't legal, with the cost once again passed on to everyone else.

quote:

Originally posted by cas:
"Our forefathers would have been shooting by now."

Our forefathers would be throwing her UNDER the jail. The PA Turnpike has its genesis in a 1790s toll road.

The Mrs. was in PA or NJ and ended up in the wrong lane and went thru two tolls without paying.

The letters were waiting on her by the time she got home 10 days later.