Ohioan: Helping panhandler led to littering ticket

(AP) CLEVELAND - An Ohio man is fighting a littering ticket he says he got when he tried to give money to a panhandler in a wheelchair, and the cash fell to the ground.

A Cleveland police spokeswoman says the panhandler was at a busy intersection and that it's illegal to solicit or give money at the side of a roadway.

John Davis, of Elyria, says he reached out of his vehicle on May 17 to give a panhandler a couple of dollars, but the money dropped. He was then given a $344 ticket.

WJW-TV reports that Davis could have been ticketed for donating to a panhandler but was cited for a potentially more expensive violation.

Davis pleaded not guilty Tuesday.