BOSWELL, Pa. -- A Blairsville truck driver is accused of avoiding more than a half-million dollars in Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls by using a stolen New York E-ZPass transponder.

Also, Pennsylvania state police said Thomas Howard Wambold's tractor-trailer has a split-axle trailer with a modified air system that can lift the axles over toll indicators, with mufflers that can prevent toll collectors from hearing the axles being raised.

Wambold, 38, used the stolen E-ZPass more than 1,200 times between September 2005 and March 2008, and he owes $575,980 in full fares to the turnpike commission, police said.

Evading a fare carries a fine of $1,000 -- which means that all of Wambold's alleged evasions would add up to about $1.24 million, according to police.

Police said Wambold admitted using the E-ZPass after they stopped him for a burned-out license plate light near milepost 123.6 in Allegheny Township, Somerset County. Police said he also exceeded the turnpike's 40-ton weight limit by more than 17 tons.

Wambold is charged with theft, access device fraud, receiving stolen property, possessing instruments of crime and exceeding the weight limit.

He was being held at Somerset County Jail on $25,000 straight bond Monday night.

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