OAKLAND, Maine (AP) _ A Maine police officer says a motorist duped by a satirical website told him that burning rubber is protected free speech.

Oakland Police Sgt. Tracy Frost posted on the department’s Facebook page that the driver locked eyes with him and then proceeded to spin his tires last week.

He said the motorist explained that the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that burned rubber marks are constitutionally protected free speech. The officer said he got a hearty chuckle when the driver cited a story from New Maine News, a satirical website.

He said he left the motorist off the hook, figuring the ribbing he was going to get from his friend was worse than a citation.