Driver takes problem into own hands after seeing tow truck stalk mall, illegally lift cars and overcharge owners

A VIGILANTE filmed tow trucks taking people’s cars from a store parking lot, helping investigators find they’re not operating legally.

The towing company is so proactive in towing that a church leader assembled a task force to protect cars during worship.

Facebook/Voice Ofmany

Facebook/Voice Ofmany

DT2 Towing, owned by John Thurmond and David McElrath’s King in Trucking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has gained attention from the media after a good Samaritan began documenting their drivers’ tows.

Monte Mabra said he noticed a black tow truck seemingly prowling a shopping center for “illegally” parked cars, he told The Public Investigator .

He said that every other day, he would hear someone running out from a nearby store, begging a driver not to take their car.

That’s when he decided to start filming drivers from the two companies, and the outlet’s investigation into the matter began.

McElrath and Thurmond were aware of Mabra’s videos on Facebook and claimed they were beginning to harm both company’s reputations.

They also claimed an increase in thefts on their company’s properties.

“We don’t touch any vehicle that wasn’t either in the handicap (spot), fire lane, or things of that nature,” McElrath told the outlet.

However, a few drivers had a different story.

Unique Johnson, for instance, took her infant into a store and was only shopping briefly when she realized she’d left something in her truck .

It was gone when she left the store and walked to where she left her truck.

“I thought I was getting pranked,” she said.

A store employee helped her find the contact information left on a single sign in the lot, and eventually tracked down her truck.

She was told she was towed because she was parked too close to a handicapped spot, which she said was false.

She paid $430 to get it back but realized something else was missing.

Johnson claimed a driver took $2,000 in cash from her truck, complete with a picture of broken cash bands.

You can’t pay me to go in that parking lot, because it’s like they just sit bored, just towing people’s cars for nothing.

Unique Johnson

McElrath said his drivers don’t enter personal vehicles so that it couldn’t have been his driver.

Johnson, though, doesn’t plan on shopping in any stores associated with the company.

“You can’t pay me to go in that parking lot, because it’s like they just sit bored, just towing people’s cars for nothing,” she said.

Kyra Allen is part of Evolve Church, which has a lot a few miles from the shopping center Johnson was towed from. However, the same two towing companies monitor it.

She told the outlet that the towing was so frequent that she had to appoint people to watch churchgoers’ cars during worship to ensure they weren’t towed.

She said an elderly woman’s car was towed with her house key inside, and a newborn mother’s car was taken with her breast pump.

Thurmond indicated that being at church didn’t absolve drivers of the rules.

“I’m sorry you’re at church, but our job is to patrol their lots 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

What to do if your car is towed

Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.

If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.

Steps to take when your car is towed:

• Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
• Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
• Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
• Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.

If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:

• Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
• Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
• Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
• Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
• Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
• Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.

Source: Oregon Department of Justice , National General , Rak Law Firm

Thurmond and McElrath work together to patrol the lots. Still, Jim Cooney, the city’s license division manager, said McElrath’s company’s LLC registration lapsed and isn’t licensed to tow cars from private property.

Thurmond’s company holds the proper city license to tow vehicles without the owner’s consent, and McElrath’s drivers help move cars.

However, Kings would need its own license for McElrath’s company to move cars without consent.

The outlet contacted the lot’s owner, who spoke with reporters and both company owners on a conference call.

Both company owners didn’t realize they weren’t operating within the exact parameters and said they’d apply for the proper licenses.

The property owner said they’d only work with Thurmond’s company, DT2, as he didn’t realize both companies were working together.

The U.S. Sun has contacted DT2 Towing and Kings in Trucking Towing for comment and an update.