Man Arrested For Waving a Sign Warning Drivers About a Speed Trap
A Texas man facing misdemeanor charges for standing in the median of a six lane highway, holding a sign that read, "Police Ahead," says what he did was no different than an official speed limit sign.
Ron Martin, 33, was arrested and charged with "waving a homemade sign" in October in Frisco, Texas, a city that does not allow the waving of homemade signs. Officer Mronzinski busted Martin after noticing that his speed trap honey pot had gone sour.
The officer first had his suspicions that Martin was in the area as he sat in his unmarked police car on Eldorado Parkway in Frisco, Texas.
"I observed a couple of cars drive by traveling westbound waving at us," Mronzinski wrote in his arrest report. "Mr. Martin has a history with the Frisco Police Department Officers in holding signs in the center median of traffic stating 'police ahead.'"
A colleague had also radioed earlier that morning to warn Mronzinski that he had seen Martin in the area.
In his defense, Martin is claiming that his waving, homemade sign is no different than an official speed limit sign.
"I just don't wear a uniform," Martin said. "I'm the same thing as a speed limit sign, just reminding people that there is a limit here."
The ABC report also includes some interesting statistics on state-specific laws about alerting fellow drivers to a police officer's presence on the road.
Laws in New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Florida allow headlight flashing, while other states, such as Arizona and Alaska, forbid it. In Washington, drivers may be fined $124 for flashing their high beams within 400 feet of another vehicle for any reason.
[image via WFAA]