A Dallas man has admitted to throwing a two-by-four at a tractor trailer on Interstate 20 so he could be given a free ride by responding police. Instead, 46-year-old Arthur Ray Thompson received several criminal charges and trip to jail.
According to the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, Thompson chucked the 6-foot-long piece of wood at the truck on Thursday afternoon, at mile marker 583 on eastbound Interstate 20. The piece of wood shattered the truck’s windshield.
The Longview News-Journal reported that when police arrived Thompson told officers that he “threw the object intentionally so the police would get called, and the police could give him a courtesy ride to the next county line.”
Gregg Co. Sheriff's Office: Man threw two-by-four at tractor-trailer on I-20 to get ride from police to county line https://t.co/lvhUR4ejS7 pic.twitter.com/lAgIgYt1bB
— Longview News (@newsjournal) January 6, 2017
The truck driver told police that she was traveling at approximately 75 miles per hour when her rig was struck. She was not injured, but said the damages to her vehicle was approximately $1,000.
Instead of a free ride, Thompson was taken to the Gregg County Jail where he was held on $6,000 bond. He was charged with criminal mischief causing damage between $750 and $2,500, and deadly conduct.