Washington (CNN) A top Pentagon official has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and perform 32 hours of community service in an odd case that has rankled a Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Veteran Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman was caught stealing the license plates off the car belonging to a neighbor's nanny two months ago after threatening to have her car towed for violating neighborhood parking rules, according to documents obtained by CNN.

Whitman has since been put on leave, according to Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge.

"In light of the pending criminal case involving Bryan Whitman, he has been placed on administrative leave while the department reviews this matter" Trowbridge said in a statement.

The incident was first reported by The Washington Post

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