Tollbooth clerk charged with stealing

NEW YORK, March 23 (UPI) -- A tollbooth clerk for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has been charged with embezzling $10,000 in tolls paid by large trucks, authorities say.

William Bradshaw, who lives in Staten Island in New York City, allegedly failed to register the trucks in the computer system and kept the money, the New York Post reported. Police said he described what had happened as "an honest and stupid mistake."

Bradshaw worked as a collector on the three bridges connecting Staten Island and New Jersey, the Bayonne, Goethals and the Outerbridge Crossing. Tractor-trailers can pay as much as $100 for a trip across one of the bridges.

The Port Authority said Bradshaw came to their attention when auditors noticed he had reported an unusual number of trucks that did not pay tolls because the drivers had gotten lost.