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Arno Herwerth Will Get To Order 'GOTOSAMA' License Plates After All

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island man hoping to change his license plates to commemorate the killing of Osama bin Laden will get his wish after all.

WCBS 880's Sophia Hall With Arno Herwerth

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Retired NYPD officer Arno Herwerth, of Hauppauge, battled the New York DMV in 2007 for the right to have the license plate "GETOSAMA" put on his van. Following the death of the al Qaeda leader on Sunday, Herwerth sought to change the plate to "GOTOSAMA," but a search on the DMV website showed that the plate had been taken.

However, after various inquiries were made into who actually got the "GOTOSAMA" plate, it was revealed that it was still available. Herwerth told 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera that he spoke to a supervisor at the DMV, who told him the "unavailable" status of the customized plate was the result of a computer glitch.

Herwerth was told he could order the "GOTOSAMA" plates and so he did. He is expected to get them within two weeks and said he can't wait to put them on his van.

His other vehicle has the license plate "AX-ALQADA."

Arno also spray-painted the side of his van with the words "Live Free Or Die" and "Get Osama." He spent part of the day Tuesday updating it to read "Got Osama."

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