PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A New Hampshire woman is accused of taking advantage of handicap parking even though she is not disabled.
Boston 25 News has learned she has been parking for free at the Hanover Street garage for years.
Police told us she'd been coming and going from the Portsmouth city parking garage for nearly seven years and her apartment sits just around the back corner of it.
The going rates for parking in the city of Portsmouth $1.25 an hour. But police say 52-year-old Siobhan Hyman wasn't paying a dime.
“The city allows up to 24 hours free parking with a handicap placard or plate,” said Portsmouth Sgt. Rich Webb.
Police say since 2010, Hyman had been using two different cars to park in a handicapped spot.
One had handicap plates and another had a handicap placard.
But Hyman isn't disabled, according to police, which drew the attention of the parking attendants who watched her come and go.
“They noticed there was an issue and they notified the police department,” Sgt. Webb said.
Police arrested Hyman Saturday.
On Tuesday, a man who answered her apartment door told Boston 25 News Hyman has no interest in talking about the charges.
Police charged Hyman with felony theft of services for the estimated total of over $1,000 of parking over the years.