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Acid-tripping man prints fake license plate from Wikipedia

After being pulled over for reckless driving, the man claimed he had been exposed to LSD through sweat on the steering wheel of a rental car.

 

Kevin Morris

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Posted on Nov 6, 2012   Updated on Jun 2, 2021, 7:58 am CDT

Everyone has that one great crime they’ve fantasized about forever. The bank break in. The museum heist. The great Maple Syrup Caper. Christopher Blake Pretti of Glen Saint Mary, Fla. had a master plan, too. And it all began with a Wikipedia page.

Specifically, we’re talking the “Vehicle registration plates of Florida” page, where Pretti downloaded a photograph of a license plate, printed it off onto a piece of cardboard, and slapped it onto the back of his motorcycle. And with that, he was off. No one could catch him now!

Pretti spent the early morning hours driving recklessly around a sleepy Pennsylvania township. When a cop noticed him and turned on his sirens, Pretti sped away.  (“Good luck tracking me down with those plate numbers, coppers!” you can only imagine him snickering to himself as he pumped the gas.) Pretti passed at least 10 cars by zipping along the shoulder before police finally stopped him.

The police, it goes without saying, were quite concerned about his fraudulent license plate. That, and Pretti’s “glassy, blood-shot eyes.”

Soon Pretti had revealed to police the apparent cause of his criminal misadventures: accidental exposure to sweat laced with LSD. According to a report in the Public Opinion newspaper:

“While being transported to Chambersburg Hospital, Pretti told police he was ‘accidentally exposed to LSD by sweat that was left behind on the steering wheel of a rental vehicle.’

Pretti was charged with fleeing a police officer, a felony, and multiple misdemeanors, including fraud and two counts of driving under the influence. If you’re curious, here’s the license plate he used. No word yet on Pretti’s preferred brand of cardboard.

Photo by Stripey the crab/Wikimedia Commons

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*First Published: Nov 6, 2012, 4:40 pm CST