Prosecutors: Boston Police Officer Wrote Fake Ticket

A Boston police officer so infuriated after a confrontation with another driver on an area highway sent the man a fake $790 citation and a curt note that read "Try fighting this. I dare you!" prosecutors say.

Officer Christopher Curtis was released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty Tuesday to forgery, witness intimidation and misleading an investigation. Neither he nor his attorney commented outside of court.

Curtis is on unpaid administrative leave, a Boston Police Department spokesman said.

The other driver told investigators he was driving south on Interstate 93 north of the city on March 1 when he saw a white pickup truck coming close to the back of his car.

The driver, who was not identified in court records, said the pickup driver honked at him, sped toward his car, merged into the lane on his right and then veered back into the left lane, nearly forcing him into the median barrier, according to court records.

A week later, he got the ticket and note in the mail. Despite the warning he decided to fight it, and court officials became suspicious because although it came in a Boston Police Department envelope, the ticket indicated it had been written by state police.