Man Has Vehicle Towed After Westport Police Spot Wrong License Plate

WESTPORT, CT — A 26-year-old Derby man was arrested, and had his vehicle towed away, last week after Westport police spotted that the vehicle has the wrong license plate.

Michael Scaminaci was arrested on Thursday and charged with the following:

• Misuse Use of Plates
• Failure to Have Insurance
• Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle
• Operating a Motor Vehicle Without a License
• Improper Stop/Turn Signal Lamp

The incident occurred at about 9:40 a.m. when a Westport police officer, who was conducting traffic enforcement, saw a black Jeep pass him, and as the vehicle went around a curve, one of the brake lights was not working.

"Further, when the officer ran the car’s registration to confirm that the car was legally registered, it was discovered that the license plate affixed to the vehicle came back to a Hyundai and not a Jeep indicating that the license plate was being misused," Westport police wrote in a statement.

Scaminaci was driving the Jeep, and after he was pulled over, he did not have a valid car registration, insurance card, or driver's license, according to police.

"In this particular case, the vehicle was towed from the scene to the tow company's property," Lt. Anthony Prezioso wrote in an email to Patch. "The vehicle can then only be removed from it by a secondary tow or when it is properly registered."

The plate, which was not reported as stolen, was confiscated and will be turned over to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, according to Prezioso.

Scaminaci was released after posting a $1,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on July 26.