HYANNIS — Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visited Cape Cod to attend several events on Thursday, and snagged a premium — albeit illegal — parking spot at one of her stops.

The vehicle in which Polito was traveling, a black Ford Explorer driven by a state trooper, was spotted and photographed parked in a handicapped space outside an office building on Airport Road in Hyannis. There was no handicapped placard or license plate visible on the vehicle.

The incident was an honest mistake and the trooper involved has apologized for parking in the space and unknowingly violating a “cardinal rule” of the force, according to David Procopio, spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police.

The trooper had apparently entered the parking lot of the office building when he was directed into the spot, and, while at the wheel of the high-profile vehicle, was unable to see the handicapped parking logo on the pavement below. Neither Polito nor the trooper were aware they had parked in a handicapped spot, according to Procopio.

The penalty for parking in a handicap spot in Barnstable is $100 and/or the removal of the vehicle at the owner's expense, according to the town's regulations.

Polito was on the Cape for the swearing in of Barnstable County Sheriff James Cummings at Cape Cod Community College; the signing of Community Compacts in Bourne and Falmouth; and to attend an announcement at Cape Cod Hospital about funding for addiction treatment and recovery. The parking error occurred while Polito was meeting with proponents of a proposed sports complex in Hyannis as well as state Reps. Timothy Whelan, R-Brewster, and William Crocker Jr., R-Centerville, town officials, and Cape Cod Community College President John Cox.

— Follow Geoff Spillane on Twitter: @GSpillaneCCT.

Editor's note: The original version of this story contained incorrect information about the fine for parking in a handicap spot. The story has been corrected.