"Jackass" star Steve-O was charged Monday with an infraction for a stunt last spring in which he videotaped himself defacing a freeway sign to take a swipe at SeaWorld for its alleged mistreatment of killer whales.
The 40-year-old, whose real name is Stephen Gilchrist Glover, is charged with an infraction "comparable to speeding or a stop sign violation,” said Gerry Braun, the director of communications for the City Attorney's Office.
In August, Glover posted a short clip to his YouTube page showing him clambering onto the green Caltrans sign over Interstate 5 on the afternoon of May 25 and covering the "Drive" in "Sea World Drive" with a piece of paper bearing the word "SUCKS."
Glover was charged with an infraction of the California Vehicle Code section pertaining to interference with traffic devices "because distractions such as this can cause accidents, just like running a stop sign," Braun said.
"It was not a smart thing to do to place drivers and their passengers in harm's way," Braun said. "Had anyone been injured, it is likely Mr. Glover would have faced a felony or misdemeanor depending upon the seriousness of the injury.”
Glover is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 22 in the Kearny Mesa Branch of San Diego Superior Court. He can settle the case by paying a $239 fine before Dec. 22, or can elect to go to trial before a traffic court commissioner, Braun said.
Glover's activities caused damage to the sign and Caltrans has the right under the Vehicle Code to seek reimbursement for its expenses in repairing the sign, Braun said.
When Caltrans personnel removed Glover's placard, the tape that had been used to adhere it pulled off reflective material from the sign, California Highway Patrol public affairs Officer Jake Sanchez said in September when he announced the agency was seeking criminal charges against Glover.
