Teens who changed a digital billboard to display pornography identified by police

Police in a Detroit suburb have identified two teenage boys responsible for changing a digital billboard along an interstate highway to display pornography, according to Auburn Hills police Lt. Ryan Gagnon.

According to police, the two teenage boys, ages 16 and 18, negotiated a 6-foot fence around a small shack underneath the billboard shortly before 11 p.m. on September 28. Inside the shack was a laptop computer that operated the digital billboard.

One of the boys was able access the laptop and changed the billboard so that it was displaying pornography instead of advertisements to drivers on Interstate 75 North, according to police.

Drivers had a tough time staying focused on the road.

“I kind of almost got in an accident” just after the lewd images flashed before him on the road, a driver told CNN affiliate WXYZ. “You could kind of see people started to brake a lot behind me, because I think they were doing the same thing, like a double take.”

Auburn Hills police began receiving calls around 11 p.m. that the billboard was displaying graphic images. They reached out to the emergency contact for the company operating the sign, Triple Communications, and the company promptly shut down the sign.

Police were able to identify the two teenagers through anonymous tips. The teenagers admitted to everything and have been cooperative, Gagnon said.

The 16-year-old boy responsible for accessing the laptop has no prior criminal history, Gagnon said. Juvenile court has referred him to a juvenile diversion program, where he must abide by rules established by the program and if he does so, will not face any formal charges.

The second suspect was identified by Auburn Hills police as an 18-year-old from Sterling Heights. He has been charged with the misdemeanor of trespassing, according to Gagnon.