Man serves 3 days for continuing to use highway tokens

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- A Massachusetts man who insists his New Hampshire highway tokens still are valid just spent three days in jail because the state maintains otherwise.

Thomas Jensen, 68, of Braintree says the state broke a contract with him and everyone else who bought tokens by refusing to accept them after January of last year. He was convicted of theft of services for continuing to use tokens after they were phased out in favor of the E-ZPass system.

Monday, a judge told Jensen he could pay a $150 fine, do community service or go to jail for three days. He choose jail.

"I could have written a check for $150," Jensen said after being released on Wednesday. "But I was the one that was wronged. I didn't commit a crime and I went to jail."

He said the state should just continue accepting tokens until they run out.

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