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Virginia Marine fined for rolling through toll during motorcycle funeral procession

Posted at 1:48 PM, Oct 21, 2014
and last updated 2014-10-21 13:49:19-04

FORT VALLEY, Va. -- A Virginia Marine said he was upset after the state of Maryland fined him for driving through the Bay Bridge toll plaza during a motorcycle procession for a fallen Marine.

"Someone asked one of the officers about tolls and they said, ‘I can’t imagine them giving us a toll; we’re not gonna stop,'" Heath Silcot told WJLA.com.

Motorcycle Marine 04

Turns out, that is not the case. The Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) informed Silcot that arrangements needed to be made with the MTA prior to the procession. As Silcot appealed the $9 fine, he missed the deadline to pay. That added a $50 late fee to his tab.

The state eventually dropped the $50 late fee, but required the Marine to pay his $9 toll.

Silcot was taking part in the motorcycle procession from Stafford, Virginia to Dover, Delaware for Staff Sgt. David H. Stewart.

"I know what being a Marine is about, I know how the brotherhood is," Silcot told WJLA.com. "It was an honor for me to drive to Dover and to make sure that his family received him in an honorable way."

What do you think about Maryland's decision to fine Silcot and other Marine who did not pay the toll? Click here to email the CBS 6 Newsroom or here to leave a comment on Facebook.