No 'your dog wants steak'?

/disappoint

Droop, come here.

It works, but you need a condiment.

Gyrfalcon: YouSirAreAMaroon: Gyrfalcon: Alonjar: I understand some of the charges, but charging a man with grand theft for taking something that is in fact his, boggles my mind.

Go look up "mechanic's lien" on Google someplace. It basically means that you surrender your rights of possession to the mechanic (or tow driver, whatever) until any money outstanding has been paid. If you owe money on a vehicle, and you go take it from the impound yard or wherever, what you're "stealing" isn't your property, it's the money you haven't paid the mechanic or tow company. And if it's over the statutory amount, it's grand theft.

I'm not sure that's universally applicable.

When I was a good deal younger I stole my car back from a tow lot. Granted, I just slipped through the open gate while the guy was distracted, but I was under the impression that once I had the car back in my possession it was a civil matter.

The tow company found out my info and sent some bills/letters but nothing ever happened when I ignored them.

Once you get it home, it's up to them whether they want to prosecute you or not. They CAN, certainly, but they don't have to. Now, if you'd gotten caught while slipping through the gate, you'd likely have spent the night in jail.

Everything I can find, at least with regard to MA state law supports my understanding.

Liens in general don't work the way you describe. Anyone can file a lien, although in certain cases it may not be necessary, however, enforcement depends on an order of the court as the result of a civil action.

Sybarite: [cdn.bleacherreport.net image 350x256]

Hey, I was hungry.

R.I.P.

KrispyKritter: ever had your motor vehicle towed to an impound lot for no reason whatsoever? no, neither have i. morans.

...and yet because you don't have a personal story to tell means that it NEVER happens. Tow companies are shady as hell. Now because I DO have a CSB, I'll attest to the fact that they DO, in fact, tow vehicles for no reason whatsoever.

Here's my CSB: I was visiting my girlfriend at her apartment in Athens, GA while in college. While parked in a VISITOR parking space, I spotted the wonder folks with Shuman Towing hooking up my vehicle from her apartment window. Dude didn't even have my car up on the truck and wanted $120 to release my vehicle. Talk about an industry full of crooks!

...ugh "wonderful," not "wonder"

Gyrfalcon: Alonjar: I understand some of the charges, but charging a man with grand theft for taking something that is in fact his, boggles my mind.

Go look up "mechanic's lien" on Google someplace. It basically means that you surrender your rights of possession to the mechanic (or tow driver, whatever) until any money outstanding has been paid. If you owe money on a vehicle, and you go take it from the impound yard or wherever, what you're "stealing" isn't your property, it's the money you haven't paid the mechanic or tow company. And if it's over the statutory amount, it's grand theft.

The only issue I see with this, is that you willingly enter into the deal with a mechanic. No agreement was made with the towing company, they just took that shiat. I'm sure the law is on their side, because the towing companies pay politicians good money to ensure it is, but still.

I feel like if he had not rammed the gate to get the vehicle out, he would have been able to get away with it, even if it turned into a he-said she-said kind of thing with the law. Just like the burden of proof is on YOU to prove you were not illegally parked when a tow truck stole your car, it would equally be on the tow company to prove you stole something that was "theirs". Ramming the gate and farking up your car kind of kills that though.

/Have cut privately owned boots off friends car before. If it doesnt say its owned by the city, fark em. Just dont leave the thing laying where the car used to be.

AverageAmericanGuy: A buddy of mine did this back in grade school. He spent about a month slowly creating a bond with the junkyard dog by giving it treats every time he came by.

After a week or so, it stopped barking when he came near. And after a month it was wagging its tail and begging for the treats.

Finally, he made a ball of hamburger and put a handful of Nyquil gel tabs in it. The dog was out like a light.

He climbed the fence and unlocked the fence from the inside. Drove his Ranger right out and locked up after himself.

He tore up his shirt pretty bad on the barbed wire, and he had to swap license plates with another guy from out of state, but he had his car back.

"Oh my God, I'm a member of Greenpeace and I just helped poison a dog!"

"Well, it ain't poison, and you didn't help much..."


/that was for a snowblower, not a car

Big deal. You ain't doin' it right unless you load the meat full of sleeping pills.

ramblinwreck: KrispyKritter: ever had your motor vehicle towed to an impound lot for no reason whatsoever? no, neither have i. morans.

...and yet because you don't have a personal story to tell means that it NEVER happens. Tow companies are shady as hell. Now because I DO have a CSB, I'll attest to the fact that they DO, in fact, tow vehicles for no reason whatsoever.

Here's my CSB: I was visiting my girlfriend at her apartment in Athens, GA while in college. While parked in a VISITOR parking space, I spotted the wonder folks with Shuman Towing hooking up my vehicle from her apartment window. Dude didn't even have my car up on the truck and wanted $120 to release my vehicle. Talk about an industry full of crooks!

When I lived in DC I was at a friend's place in Rosslyn, a guy had parked in a spot marked "Visitor" We got outside in time to see his car with the front two wheels off the ground, the tow truck driver's excuse was that the apartment complex had reclassified the spots but hadn't remarked them yet.

So 5 of us stood next to the bumpers of both vehicles so that he couldn't move without running us over, eventually he got tired of waiting and put the car down for free.

I agree that the tow company is parasitical but killing the tow truck operater would be a waste of the killers life.Besides,the toxic cloud of brimstone that would belch from the Earth after it opens up to swallow the drivers soul into hell would result in the shooter getting an additional ticket for burning garbage without a permit.

EnviroDude: $419 for tow charges and he was the one charged with theft?

This. All tow companies are thieves of the worst kind. It's a shame he couldn't have ran over the owner on the way out.
/YES really.

Most of the time...

Gyrfalcon: Alonjar: I understand some of the charges, but charging a man with grand theft for taking something that is in fact his, boggles my mind.

Go look up "mechanic's lien" on Google someplace. It basically means that you surrender your rights of possession to the mechanic (or tow driver, whatever) until any money outstanding has been paid. If you owe money on a vehicle, and you go take it from the impound yard or wherever, what you're "stealing" isn't your property, it's the money you haven't paid the mechanic or tow company. And if it's over the statutory amount, it's grand theft.

Which is complete bullshiat when a tow company tows your car and then charges you an arbitrary and unagreed to amount to get it back. Towtruck companies are the scum of the earth and deserve no such protections.

StrangeQ: Gyrfalcon: Alonjar: I understand some of the charges, but charging a man with grand theft for taking something that is in fact his, boggles my mind.

Go look up "mechanic's lien" on Google someplace. It basically means that you surrender your rights of possession to the mechanic (or tow driver, whatever) until any money outstanding has been paid. If you owe money on a vehicle, and you go take it from the impound yard or wherever, what you're "stealing" isn't your property, it's the money you haven't paid the mechanic or tow company. And if it's over the statutory amount, it's grand theft.

Which is complete bullshiat when a tow company tows your car and then charges you an arbitrary and unagreed to amount to get it back. Towtruck companies are the scum of the earth and deserve no such protections.

I know Fairfax, VA had laws in place that restricted how much a towing company could charge you per day, per tow.

when i was younger and up to general mischief like toilet papering/wrapping houses, letting air out of tires etc., our mischief kit always included a jar of peanut butter for noisy dogs. A whole jar would take them a while to eat giving us time to wreak havoc.

6:40

I warn you, this is very NSFW.

relcec: I don't like how the default position of the police is the van they don't own was ever properly in the towing companies possession.

SOMEONE had better pay the damn kickbacks, and the towing company sure isn't going to if they aren't getting paid, so they'll hold the guy until he pays up and folds.

Gyrfalcon: It could well be different here in CA.

No, even in CA the lien only prevents a title transfer. In other words, if you sell it, the other person can't register it in their name without getting the lien released, which makes the property mostly worthless to anyone else. Other than that, any collection MUST be done through a lawsuit, filed within a certain number of years or it becomes void (can't remember offhand).

SuddenlySamhain: I agree that the tow company is parasitical but killing the tow truck operater would be a waste of the killers life.Besides,the toxic cloud of brimstone that would belch from the Earth after it opens up to swallow the drivers soul into hell would result in the shooter getting an additional ticket for burning garbage without a permit.

That was worth a favorite, my good man. ;D

KrispyKritter: ever had your motor vehicle towed to an impound lot for no reason whatsoever? no, neither have i. morans.

Nearly. They patrol the streets here (Seattle) on their own sometimes. I once spotted one pulling up to my van, but when I ran outside the house we were renting with a pistol in my hand it sped off. My van was parked legally, and had up to date tags, but was beat up looking.

/csb

belhade:
"Oh my God, I'm a member of Greenpeace and I just helped poison a dog!"

"Well, it ain't poison, and you didn't help much..."


/that was for a snowblower, not a car

Clyde_Suckfinger: [lh4.googleusercontent.com image 512x277]

Big deal. You ain't doin' it right unless you load the meat full of sleeping pills.

I couldn't find a picture of Dylan Walsh climbing the fence...

Besides, those were painkillers, not sleeping pills. Probably Tylenol-3s, though in the book I think Sully describes them as "yellow zonkers".