Some Residents Calling Man Accused Of Covering Up Red Light Cameras A 'Hero'
SMITHTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork)-- A Long Island man was arrested Friday and charged with covering up red light cameras in Smithtown.
Bryan Valentine, 26, of St. James, was arrested after a driver called 911 to report a man placing plastic bags over two red light cameras at Main Street and Landing Avenue in Smithtown, Suffolk County police said.
The father of the suspect said he had "no comment to make" as his son awaits arraignment in the district court in Islip on charges of criminal tampering, CBS2's Steve Langford reported.
Valentine has gained support from a man who calls himself the "Red Light Robin Hood," also known as Stephen Ruth. CBS2 has spoken to him in the past after being arrested several times for tampering with cameras, which he called a money grab.
"Many people have been killed due to the shortening of yellow lights only for revenue and it's coming to a war where people aren't afraid to go to jail," Ruth said.
This isn't the first time there's been a report around the area of someone trying to blind unblinking cameras.
"Every couple of weeks someone does something to it," Gary Rothman, who works next to one of the Smithtown red light cameras, told CBS2. "Last week someone went up there to put stickers right on the camera."
Suffolk County calls the red light program a matter of safety, reducing crashes at intersections and saving lives.
"I don't like the red light cameras, but I still don't think it's right to go around and mess up with things like that," one resident said.
There are mixed feelings about the latest act of apparent civil disobedience.
"A lot of us think he's a hero, it's quite a big swelling movement that makes people like that a hero, so if we all did it they couldn't arrest us all," another said.
The red light camera fine in Suffolk County is $50 plus a $30 administrative fee.