A Russian man faces up to two years in prison for stealing an entire road

[dixiegrrrrl]

The man, a 40-year-old resident of Syktyvkar, the capital of Komi Republic in the Northwestern Federal District, admitted having stolen 82 reinforced concrete slabs that make up the roughly 1-mile road linking the village of Parcheg with the Vychegda River, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported Thursday.

Police uncovered the highway robbery when they pulled over a convoy of three heavy trucks carrying the slabs, which they said had been removed with a manipulator, an industrial machine that combines a bulldozer and a forklift.

While it's unusual for an entire road to vanish, Russia's recent history is filled with thefts of other infrastructure, especially bridges, which are valued for their metal.
Most recently, in June, a bridge over the Nozma River, in the village of Frolovo northeast of Vologda, was stolen, with a trail of tractor tracks leading to the culprit's home, the Interior Ministry reported.

The man — who authorities said painstakingly dismantled the bridge with a welding torch — could also face up to two years in prison.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/02/19839063-russian-man-accused-of-stealing-an-entire-road?lite?ocid=twitter

[rrneck]

1. I'd love to see the dash cam video. nt

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Can't be much weirder than other Russian cam shots....

" Uh...tell the boss I may be late for work this morning...."

[rrneck]

4. Given the way things seem to work over there

"somebody stole the road" would probably be a valid excuse.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Waht blew my mind was the dash cam shots of that meteor

during what appeared to be rush hour in the am
and the cars just kept driving towards the thing, despite the BOOMS and flashes.

[liberal N proud]

3. Highway robbery

[rrneck]

5. Damn, I wish I'd said that.