Four More Charged For Avoiding Turnpike Tolls

A crackdown on drivers who have skipped out on paying for Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls in Bucks County continues.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday morning that they have filed charges against four motorists who allegedly racked up more than $21,000 in unpaid tolls when they accessed the highway in Lower Bucks County. The four are also accused of operating their vehicle with a suspended driver’s license at various times while on the Turnpike.

From the district attorney’s office:

• Christian M. Rodriguez, 41, of Willow Grove in Montgomery County, took 186 unpaid rides between September 2013 and April 2019, investigators found, stealing a total of $8,018.40.
• Tatyana Yarmolyuk, 37, of Green Lane in Montgomery County, drove the Turnpike without paying 136 times between March 2012 and October 2018 for unpaid tolls of $5,300.56.
• Torr J. Robinson, 33, of Philadelphia, made 252 unpaid trips between September 2013 and November 2017 worth $5016.10.
• Shirley Chaplin-Sowell, 39, of Philadelphia, rode without paying 65 times between April 2017 and March 2018, earning a bill of $2,850.05.

Chaplin-Sowell, Rodriguez, and Yarmolyuk have all been asked to turn themselves in to the Bucks County Detectives. Robinson is already in custody and awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.

“Typically, offending motorists enter and exit the turnpike through E-ZPass lanes. Cameras photograph vehicles as they pass through, and the amount an offender owes is later calculated based on the driver’s entry and exit locations. If either an entry or exit point cannot be determined, a driver can be charged for traveling the full length of the turnpike,” the district attorney office’s press release said.

Starting last year, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission stepped up efforts to catch up to those who avoid paying tolls that have piled up. The Turnpike has an investigator that works with county detectives.

A Turnpike spokesperson said the criminal complaints are filed against owners of vehicles who have piled up tolls and fees that exceed $2,000, according to PennLive.

Through previous charges in Bucks County, the Turnpike has recouped tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid tolls.