Troopers say man tried to hide license plate to get through tolls

ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Now you see it, now you don't!

A gutsy driver was pulled over after trying to block his plate while going through a toll plaza, on Wednesday. He used a device that rolls a black sheet across his license plate with the push of a button.  It even had the Florida Highway Patrol doing a double-take.

“We've seen people hang out the back of cars to put their hand over it, we've seen motorcycles take different routes through the express lanes to avoid the camera, people intentionally cover their tags, semi trucks block their tags,” says Sgt. Kim Montes with the FHP.

Obviously, if the toll camera can't see your tag, the state can’t send you the bill. Troopers say Joshua Concepcion West could've gotten away with it, if he hadn’t used the device while driving right in front of a trooper, who busted him.

“He was subsequently arrested for petty theft and also for cheating,” Sgt. Montes says.

Cheating is a third-degree felony. “So for $1.25 toll, he now has a felony charge,” Montes explains, “we want to let people know it's not worth it, pay the toll or don't use the road.”

They stress it's illegal for anything to cover your license plate. “The only thing that belongs on your tag is that year renewal sticker, if you put anything else on your tag it's against the law,” Montes says.

Troopers say that, in recent memory, they can't recall anyone who's been charged with cheating.