Seven years ago, Reno resident Chris Sandoval got a set of brand-new personalized license plates from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles: “AREA 51,” a reference to the secretive Air Force base in Lincoln County rumored to house crashed UFOs.
But thanks to those plates — or rather, thanks to replica AREA 51 plates sold as souvenirs — Sandoval has received hundreds of tickets and fines from throughout the United States. Two weeks ago, he even received a police inquiry about a hit-and-run. He estimates he’s spent nearly $5,000 in legal fees to fight the undeserved fines.
