Driver, 60, caught 'using cell phone jammer to keep motorists around him off the phone'



Jason R. Humphreys facing a $48,000 fine

He hid the illegal device in his SUV and used it while driving on the Interstate 4 for about two years

The jammer made it impossible for anyone, including emergency responders, to use their cell

Authorities tracked the Florida man down after Metro PCS reported interference to their Tampa towers

Humphreys said he was sick of seeing people use their phones while driving



A vigilante mot orist is facing a $48,000 fine for allegedly using an illegal cell phone signal jammer in his SUV to keep drivers around him off the phone.



The Federal Communications Commission says that Jason R. Humphreys hid the jammer in his SUV and operated it every day on the Interstate 4 in Florida for about two years before he was caught.

The 60-year-old driver allegedly admitted he deployed the jammer, which transmits radio signals that interfere with or block electronic communications, to stop motorists driving while using their cells.

But the FCC claims the repercussions were far more serious - he was jamming cell phone towers and, potentially, the communications of emergency responders.



'The moral issue is that it's just very dangerous,' Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office spokesman Larry McKinnon told ABC Action News.



Scroll down for video

Vehicle: Sherriff's deputies allegedly found the cell phone jammer hidden beneath a seat cover in the back seat of Jason Humprehys' blue Toyota Highlander (pictured)

Scene: The FCC were alerted to the phone jamming in April 2013, when their enforcement bureau received a complaint from Metro PCS about interference to their cell phone towers on the I-4 between Seffern and Tampa (pictured) at the same two times every day

The FCC were alerted to the serious offense in April 2013, when their enforcement bureau received a complaint from Metro PCS about interference to their cell phone towers.



The company noticed that their sites between Seffner and Tampa were getting scrambled during the morning and evening commute times every day .



FCC agents used direction finding techniques to determine that strong wideband emissions were coming out of a blue Toyota Highlander SUV driven by Humphreys.

With the help of the Sheriff's office, agents pulled the Seffner man over. The report states that as they got close to Humphreys' car, they experienced interruption to their two-way portable radios.

According to officials, the driver admitted to using the jammer between 2011 and 2013 s and kept it underneath the seat cover on the passenger side.

'He indicated on the day that we stopped him that he was pretty much fed up with watching cell phone usage while people were driving,' police spokesman McKinnon said.

In Florida, it's not illegal to make a phone call on your cell while driving, but you can only text when you're stationary.



Jammer: Florida's Jason R. Humphreys is accused of hiding a cell phone jammer (like the one pictured) in his SUV and using it every day to stop other motorists from using their cell while driving

When officials seized the jammer, Metro PCS reported the interference at their towers stopped.



Jamming devices are banned in the United States because they can compromise the calls of police and other emergency responders.



Humphreys has 30 days to either pay the $48,000 fine or file a written response with the FCC.

According to McKinnon, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office also filed charges against Humphreys directly with the State Attorney's Office.

