Police Grinch? Man ticketed for Christmas lights

WICHITA, Kansas (KSN) - If you have seen David Hill driving his pick up truck around Wichita, chances are you would remember it.

His truck is covered in Christmas lights. There are 856 of them powered by an 8,000 watt generator in the bed of the truck.

Wichita Police pulled him over this week and gave him a ticket.

"It's a safety issue," explained Lt. Joe Schroeder with the Wichita Police Department. "When somebody puts colored lights on their vehicle, they're saying everybody look at me, and when people are looking at that particular vehicle, they become a hazard."

Hill has a different take on the truck.

“We've literally had thousands of people do pictures with the truck or stop and come up and look at it,” said Hill.

Hill uses the truck to raise awareness for his charity, “One Spark Can Start a Fire,” as well as to spread holiday cheer.

“A lady when I was getting my coffee today said ‘Hey, my husband died last week but this made me smile,’” said Hill. “It’s over and over again people say, 'Hey I’ve had a crappy day and those lights made me smile.’”

Hill wasn’t smiling Saturday night around midnight when he saw different lights in his rear view mirror. The ticket was, in part, for having illegal blue and red lights on the front of his truck.

"City ordinance says white on front only and red in back for brake lights," said Schroeder. "He had his entire truck decked out with the outdoor Christmas lights."

“If you see this thing coming down the road and think it’s an emergency vehicle, you might want to check your sanity,” said Hill

Police say they’re not trying to be “Grinches” this holiday season.

“It’s a safety issue,” said Lt. Joe Schroeder.

And Lt. Schroeder points out police believe it’s a matter of time before the truck causes a crash because distracted drivers won’t be paying attention to the road while gawking at Hill’s truck.

The ticket will cost Hill upwards of $300, but he says it’s worth it to draw attention to his charity.