GRAY – Maine State Police summonsed Clayton Berry, 45, of Gray, last week with driving on the Maine Turnpike without paying tolls.
Berry was charged with theft of services after using the turnpike an estimated 200 times without paying tolls. According to Scott Tompkins, spokesman for the Maine Turnpike Authority, Berry racked up more than $600 worth of unpaid tolls and fines over recent months after letting his EZ Pass lapse.
Tompkins said the turnpike authority had sent Berry several notices and certified letters informing him he was in violation and had yet to renew his EZ Pass, but Berry continued to use the turnpike nonetheless.
“He knew he had let the pass lapse,” said State Police spokesman Steve McCausland.
Tompkins said the turnpike authority has video footage of Berry’s pickup truck passing through the Portland North entrance without paying. Tompkins said Berry used the exit every Monday through Friday and sometimes on the weekend. State Trooper Kristopher Kennedy waited for Berry at the Portland North entrance last week to issue the summons.
Tompkins said the turnpike currently has 130,000 EZ Pass users. Last year, 12 were suspended for not paying their bill, a ratio Tompkins said is “pretty miniscule. By and large, our customers are law-abiding citizens. Very rarely do we see egregious violations like this.”
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