Call it the revenge of the booted.

University of Georgia police are warning students they could face serious consequences for stealing parking boots -- the wheel locks that police place on the vehicles of traffic scofflaws.

The Athens Banner-Herald quotes Police Chief Jimmy Williamson as saying that such incidents are occurring on a regular basis and students may not realize how serious the offense is -- it's a felony.

Instead of merely paying a fine, the charge is elevated to interference with government property, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, Williamson told the Banner-Herald.

He said the problem seems to be increasing this semester, with at least four such incidents so far.

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com