Man allegedly attacks speed camera with pickax

[December 05, 2008]  GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- A 26-year-old man faces criminal charges after being accused of using a pickax to attack a speed enforcement camera recently installed along a Phoenix-area freeway.

The state Department of Public Safety said Travis Munroe Townsend was arrested and booked into jail Thursday on a charge of felony damage and misdemeanor counts of interference with a traffic control device and criminal trespass.

The DPS said a motorcycle officer parked under an overpass heard loud banging noises and saw a man swinging a pickax at a stationary camera late Wednesday night.

According to DPS, the camera wasn't damaged but it needed a new protective cover.

A DPS spokesman did not immediately respond when asked whether Townsend has an attorney.

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.