DENVER – Toll lanes are a popular but pricey option to get around town – and one Denver man is being forced to pay toll fines for trips he never made.
Timothy Dodge is a single father of two whose only income comes from disability checks. His checks total about $1,700 a month.
“I’m trying to take care of the mortgage and make sure there’s food on the table,” Dodge said.
In April, Dodge received a letter stating he needed to pay toll fines.
“I started getting toll bill -- the first one I think was $36,” Dodge said. “I found it strange, so I called the toll people and they said they had a red Ford T-bird going through the toll.”
The only thing is, Dodge doesn’t own a Ford T-Bird.
“They said they have video or a picture of that car with my license plate on the back,” Dodge said. “I said that’s impossible, cause my rear license plate is on this car.”
Dodge owns a Ford E-150 van.
He then realized his front license plate was missing.
“After these toll bills I realized my license plate was gone, so I called the sheriff and reported it,” Dodge said.
However, after several calls to E-470 Public Highway Authority, he was still being forced to pay the fines.
Dodge even received collection notices and calls from attorneys demanding he pay the fines.
“They need to either have some kind of dispute resolution policy,” Dodge said, “or some type of checks and balance that keeps other people from being victimized.”
Denver7 contacted E-470 Public Highway Authority about the problem. A spokesperson told Denver7 to send documents and police reports that Dodge had in order to do research on the problem.
Several hours later, a spokesperson contacted Denver7 and said a resolution had been met between Dodge and E-470 Public Highway Authority.
“They told me they will take care of the problem,” Dodge said. “This just really helps. It really does a lot. I’m sure I’m not the only one going through this problem.