May 18, 2018: A Turner man is accused of dodging about $1,300 in Maine Turnpike tolls systematically over six years.

State troopers charge Danny Olson, 61, a long-haul trucker and owner of Olson Transportation, with one count of felony theft of services and several misdemeanor offenses, including failing to take a legally prescribed rest after long trips, failing to retain his truck’s previous logbooks, illegally attaching registration plates, theft of registration plates, and failing or neglecting to pay tolls.

Police stopped Olson in Auburn after he drove onto the turnpike from New Hampshire. They said he is suspected of failing to pay thousands of dollars’ worth of tolls in other jurisdictions as well.

Troopers said before passing through Maine tollbooths, Olson put license plates on his truck and trailer that did not belong to him.

Olson is convicted in 2019 of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer, as well as forgery, and given a suspended sentence of 60 days in jail, according to the Portland Press Herald. The court orders him to pay restitution of $1,788.83. Seven other charges against him are dismissed.

The Maine Turnpike Authority tells WGME-TV in July 2018 that toll-evading truckers are a problem for the agency. The turnpike’s top 10 toll violators owe a total of $13,000, they said, including $7,000 owed by a trucking company in Rhode Island.

Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. He can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.