(STORY IMAGE:KHQ.COM)
COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -"That has his Pooky on their, that was his nickname,” Mark Novak said back in 2015.
Novak’s son, Shane, suffered a seizure behind the wheel of his car, crashed, and died.
Since the tragedy, Mark’s been his son’s protector by making sure his memory stays alive on Interstate 90.
Then, in 2015.
“I don't know why someone would be so cruel to want to destroy my memories of my son,” Novak said.
Mark would drive daily to check on the memorial, going so far to chain a bear he placed in memory of Shane on a light pole.
But we’re sad to report, it’s happened again.
Mark posted on Facebook about the latest theft recently.
The Idaho Transportation Department says they are working to help make sure he can keep Shane’s memory alive.
“We’re hoping to find a solution and space for a memorial that safe for him and still give him his sense of closure and recognize what happened,” Megan Sausser, a public information specialist with ITD said.
According to Idaho law, it’s illegal to post things on state property without a permit.
Sausser says she can not confirm that it was an ITD employee that took down the memorial.
It’s hard not to notice it when it’s up, which is why ITD is working with Novak to make sure it’s safe for all drivers to see.
“We walk them through a permitting process so that anything we set up to recognize what has happened does not affect the safety of other drivers on the highway,” Sausser said “because ultimately we have an obligation to the safety of all our drivers.”