Indiana Police Crack Down on Cigarette Flicking

Indiana State Police Superintendent Paul Whitesell is reminding troopers to enforce laws barring motorists from flicking cigarettes onto roadsides amid a drought parching the state.

Motorists face possible maximum fines of $10,000 for discarding lit cigarettes, cigars, matches or other burning materials from moving motor vehicles. Other littering can result in maximum fines of $1,000.

Whitesell said Tuesday that several significant fires have resulted from discarded smoking materials.

State police spokesman Capt. Dave Bursten says troopers already have issued nearly 200 citations this year for the burning materials infractions, compared to 368 during all of 2011 and more than 600 each of the two previous years.

The worsening drought conditions prompted the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to place the entire state of Indiana under a water shortage warning Tuesday.