5/1/2006
Florida: Man Arrested for Driving Off with BootPalm Beach, Florida police threaten a man with five years in prison for the crime of driving his own vehicle after it had been booted.

West Palm Beach resident Ronald Raulerson, 39, faces third-degree felony charges for driving off in his own vehicle after a meter maid had attached a boot to it. Witnesses told police he removed the boot before driving off, but Raulerson told police the boot came off as he drove away from the expired parking meter on Peruvian Avenue. On Tuesday, police arrested him at his work in Palm Beach. Police recovered the boot from the back of his Ford pickup truck.
At the time of the booting, Raulerson had just three unpaid parking tickets worth $155. Because police claim the boot was worth $339.99, Raulerson is charged with grand theft, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. He was released on $3000 bond.