NORTH CAROLINA -- Towing charges of $200 to $275 are outrageous, several Charlotte City Council members said Wednesday as they promised to draw up an ordinance that would limit what drivers must pay.

"The fees are beyond astronomical," said Patrick Cannon, mayor pro tem and chairman of the public safety committee.

At issue is cars towed from restaurant parking lots and other private property.

Council members have not proposed a maximum fee but indicated the price cap may be far closer to the $65 the city allows most towers to charge when they remove an illegally parked car from a city street. They also expect to cap the fee drivers must pay to remove a boot or wheel lock placed on a car left on private property.

Matthews' town council adopted a $100 limit this summer.

Police Chief Darrel Stephens told committee members he'd welcome a maximum charge and clearer rules on towing. Police often have to mediate disputes between car owners and tow-truck drivers, he said.

The proposed regulations would not affect what a driver pays to move a disabled car.

The ordinance would require a warning sign that trespassing vehicles will be towed and how they can be retrieved. The committee will discuss the proposal Oct. 9. (Dianne Whitacre - The Charlotte Observer)

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RHODE ISLAND -- Even as abandoned vehicles pile up around the city of Pawtucket, the City Council and the operators on its official tow list appear on a collision course that could result in those vehicles continuing to rust where they lie.

The nub of the dispute: A $20 difference in what the state requires for regular tows, vs. what the city wants to pay to have so-called inoperable vehicles hauled off private property in what are known as "nonconsensual" tows.

For well over a year, the council Ordinance Committee, chaired by Councilor Thomas Hodge, has sought to work out a fair way to compensate towers for a task the operators say is basically a money-losing nuisance.

But the effort continues to run into roadblocks, with stubborn resistance on both sides now leaving limited room left for compromise.

In a resolution earlier this year, the full council established the $45 tow rate for abandoned vehicles (plus certified mailing costs, about $4.50 per mailing) in an ordinance.

But the operators refused to do the work for that rate, in part citing the $64.50 rate set by the state Division of Public Utilities and Carriers for regular tows of non-abandoned vehicles.

And the junk cars and trucks on private property have continued to pile up.

The council's lower-rate setting move also drew a slap from the DPUC, which cited concern over the ordinance's initial language for "the impression it conveys regarding public utility rate setting jurisdiction."

In a June 5 letter to Council President John Barry, the Division said while it understood the intent of the city law, "the actual language implies a usurpation of State public utility rate-setting jurisdiction."

In other words, only DPUC can set the rates, not individual cities and towns. DPUC recommended the ordinance be amended to "make it clear that any towing company" opting for the lower $45 rate must first seek approval from the DPUC before charging that rate.

Tow operators say accepting the lower rate puts them in an untenable bargaining position should they need to seek an increase in the $64.50 rate for regular tows that's in effect throughout the state.

The city's next move was to mandate that any of the roughly dozen operators on the city tow list refusing to tow abandoned vehicles at the $45 rate would be suspended and ultimately removed from the list.

Then the city in a July 23 letter asked towers to sign "special rates" requests to DPUC.

The attorney for the towers, Michael Horan, wrote back Aug. 15 saying "our clients are financially unable to afford" that move, although "we appreciate the city's warning" about getting kicked off the list.

"Obviously that is a decision the Pawtucket City Council members will have to make, but our clients will reluctantly abide by the council's decision even it means removal" from the list.

Horan also supplied records of just four towers showing that in the first seven months of this year they hauled away 192 unregistered, abandoned vehicles for the city, "at no cost to the City of Pawtucket, which were unclaimed and for which they incurred the cost of the tow, storage and salvaging of each motor vehicle at their own cost and expense."

One estimate put the number of abandoned vehicles currently in need of removal at more than 100.

"How can you ask us to work for nothing?" Jim's Towing owner Jim Robbins told Hodge's committee Wednesday.

Robbins said cars are piling up in part because owners can't keep up with higher safety and inspection standards.

"We all agree you should be compensated," but city taxpayers must also be safeguarded, said Councilor Donald Grebien.

"I'm a taxpayer," Bob Langlois of D&B Towing shot back. "I lost $8,000 last year" towing junk vehicles. "How much do you want me to lose?"

"Obviously we're at a stalemate, unfortunately, and both sides are at the far end of the spectrum from each other," Horan said in seeking a two-week postponement. If any compromise is possible, "I think the last chance would be now."

The committee agreed to put the issue off for two weeks. Horan said later that a possible compromise would be the city placing liens on landlords of properties where junked vehicles are dumped.

Edward Breault, owner of Crown Collision, said after the meeting that towing isn't the quick buck some may think it is.

He said abandoned vehicles often became like a neighborhood Dumpster, creating disposal problems.

Vehicles towed first to a lot, for 30-45 days storage for owners' legal right to reclaim them, he then hauls again to Seekonk for scrap, getting only $8-$9 apiece.

"And if the Police Department and the city can't find the people" who junked the cars, "how can we find the people" and collect the tow fee, Breault said.

As it is, "a full 35 percent of what we tow never gets picked up" by owners.

"You've got a guy on duty 24 hours straight (when it's a tower's turn on the city list) and you've gotta pay him," and unlike in years past, "the amount of (repair) work you get from a tow is miniscule.

"Towing is probably one-tenth of 1 percent of our business, and it's nothing but aggravation," Breault said. (Douglas Haden - Pawtucket Times)

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MARYLAND -- A tow truck operator who services the parking lot at 5407 East Drive has been charged with violating Baltimore County code.

But it's a charge he will fight, says Frank John Lanahan, who denies that the code cited even applies to his occupation - towing illegally parked cars.

According to Bill Toohey, a police department spokesman, on Sept. 4 Lanahan, who is part owner of County Towing Inc., used an unmarked truck in towing a car to the County Towing storage lot at 1101 North Rolling Road.

Police confronted him there, and charged him with violation of a code that requires signage on a tow truck stating the company's name, address and telephone number.

Lanahan was charged on two counts, including a similar incident that occurred Aug. 9 in the 5407 East Drive parking lot. At about 8:30 p.m. on that date police were alerted by Lisa Malone, an Arbutus resident who noticed that Lanahan - whom she had encountered there before - was hitching a Lexus to his unmarked tow truck.

But according to Malone, Lanahan has more to answer for than an unmarked truck. On Aug. 7 at the same parking lot, for example, when he hitched the Camaro she was driving to his truck, he demanded $228 from her to release it, she told the Times.

By her interpretation of the County Towing sign posted at that lot, she should have been charged no more than $160.

Malone also noted that Lanahan showed a badge, and that he said he was a police officer during the day.

On that occasion, Malone said, she had stopped by with her 8-year-old daughter to pick up an order from Sorrento's. Although County Towing has "No Parking" signs clearly posted at the 5407 East Drive, which belongs to Martin Taubenfeld and is restricted to use by his dental practice, she decide to take a chance.

"We parked in the lot, no intention of staying there, were blocking no one, and the dentist's office was closed," she recalled. "I came out ... and the back end of the car I was driving was lifted off the ground."

While admitting that she had parked illegally, Malone said she believes nevertheless that Lanahan should not have charged so much money to release the car, and should not have used a bogus police badge as a form of intimidation.

But in Lanahan's opinion, Malone's allegations and the charge police filed against him are bogus.

"We're going to file suit against the Baltimore County Police Department for harassment," he said. "It's total harassment."

According to Lanahan, the county code police have cited applies only to the towing of disabled vehicles.

"No county code applies to me," he said. "Only state law."

And because his truck has a registered gross vehicular weight of less than 10,000 pounds, he said, no identifying label is required.

Lanahan did confirm that he showed a badge on Aug. 7, but said he did so to verify his primary occupation as a state correctional officer, not a tow truck operator. He said he was trying to convince Malone that he was not authorized by his company to negotiate a discount fee, and that to do so would jeopardize his job with the state.

"The $228 is a service charge," he said. "Anything that we show up on is $220, for service arrival, and $8 for release."

The charge does not include towing, which would cost another $90 to $160, but it is accounted for on the posted sign as "additional charges," which range from $90 to $400, he said.

"It's all legal," said Lanahan, noting that $228 is justified by the risk factor involved in his moonlighting job.

"It's high risk towing," he said. "People get angry, and you never know what they will do."

"I've had people approach us with baseball bats, guns, knives, beer bottles, dogs ..."

According to Barbara Parkinson, who works as a receptionist in Taubenfeld's office, Lanahan was hired to control illegal parking in the lot about a year ago, to insure that patients - many of whom are elderly - would have safe, convenient parking.

The no-parking rule applies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to minimize lot maintenance.

"We've had this problem (non-patients parking in the lot) for a long time," she said. "The deal is, we don't want them parking there.

"If they wouldn't park there, they wouldn't be towed - that's the bottom line." (Marcia Ames - Arbutus Times)

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MICHIGAN -- David Zuker is taking Isabella County Sheriff Barry DeLau to Federal court over allegations stating DeLau attempted to take Zuker Towing and Recovery Inc. off Central Dispatch’s towing rotation, resulting in lost business.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Bay City, said the request to remove the company from the list was made to Central Dispatch after Zuker’s business towed a car illegally parked at High and Crapo streets in July 2001.

“It’s pretty straightforward,” said Zuker’s attorney Richard Carroll. “On July 6, 2001, Zuker Towing got a call from Central Dispatch to tow a vehicle and they dispatched one of their wreckers and towed (the car) back to their impound lot on Rogers Road.

“The owner of vehicle — Vickie Ludwig — came in and paid cash ... with her son (present). It was her son’s truck that got towed, but she was the titled owner. Evidently, Sheriff DeLau was dating Ms. Ludwig, but that hasn’t been confirmed by myself. They were at the very least personal friends at that time.”

The amount of the towing fee was $72.50.

“After Ms. Ludwig and her son left with the vehicle, (DeLau) approached (Zuker’s employee Nolan Ackley), and told him what he thought about Zuker’s Towing and said he was going to have them removed from list,” Carroll said.

DeLau was off duty at the time, and dressed in plain clothes.

According to the Central Dispatch log book, on July 6, 2001, a Central Dispatch employee wrote “... Per Sheriff DeLau, Sheriff’s Dept. will not use Zuker’s Towing for any calls, please bypass them on (the) list and use (the) next available.”

DeLau’s Attorney Patrick Aseltyne said he was unaware that Zuker’s was taken off of the list.

“All that I am aware of is that the Central Dispatch Bureau — which controls Central Dispatch — did not remove Mr. Zuker from the list,” he said.

Central Dispatch must honor a car owner’s request, and if car owners don’t have a towing preference, the towing companies dispatched are to be evenly rotated, according to a 1997 law.

Zuker said Central Dispatch didn’t take them off of the list, but after the sheriff’s request, their business declined.

“Sheriff DeLau wanted them to take us off the list, but they didn’t. But they limited the business we got. They would give us enough to say that we’re on it. We lost quite a bit of income.”

Carroll said two claims were filed. The first claim is for violation of Zuker’s 14th amendment right of the taking of property without due process of law, he said.

“The Sheriff’s unilateral decision that they should be removed rather than having a hearing or some procedure to protect that property interest” was the cause of the violation, Carroll said.

The other claim is interference with economic relations. By the sheriff allegedly taking this action, he essentially interfered with the towing business that they otherwise may have gotten, he said.

“His damages would be his lost profits, and there is also a separate quantum of damages if there in fact was a constitutional violation,” Carroll said. “Under the statutes that relate to civil rights, we can also get attorney fees. We’re asking for that as well.”

Aseltyne said it is too early to say what will happen with the case, but that DeLau intends to fight the accusation.

“We deny there is liability to Dave Zuker and we intend to defend the lawsuit,” he said. “We’ll wait to see what evidence he has and everything that he has to say.”

Carroll said because they just got started with the case, he is unsure of a time frame. The court system will usually hold a pre-trial conference to talk about the case and set discovery deadlines. Carroll said he estimates 30 days before the court sets a pre-trial case date.

DeLau did not return repeated phone calls from Central Michigan Life. (Sarah Chuby - Central Michigan Life)

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Diesel prices rose once again for the week ending Sept. 23, up 0.3 cents to $1.417. Volatility in oil markets continued to put pressure on domestic fuel prices, analysts said, even though the summer driving season ended.

Oil prices have risen on U.S. talk of war with Iraq. Last week, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries didn’t ease prices any when it decided to leave production steady until at least the end of the year.

OPEC's decided to hold production even though crude prices are trading above OPEC's own target range of $22 to $28 dollars a barrel.

Diesel prices edged up, on average, in the U.S., with the largest increases in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions. California tow operators actually saw a decline of 3.6 cents; drivers in the broader West Coast area saw a decline of 2.3 cents. Overall, the U.S. average is 5.6 cents lower than this time last year.

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MASSACHUSETTS -- Is the American Automobile Association, long considered the gold standard of roadside service in New England, slipping?

Donald C. DiCristofaro of Hingham, a member of AAA for more than a decade, is convinced it is. His car broke down on Interstate 495 in Mansfield, near the intersection with Interstate 95, at about 6 p.m. on a pleasant night in late June. When he called AAA for help, he was told he would receive priority service because of his location.

But help did not arrive until 21/2 hours later, apparently because AAA needed a flatbed truck to tow DiCristofaro's all-wheel drive Subaru and the nearest one was in Uxbridge, some 21 miles away.

''If 21/2 hours for a tow truck represents priority service, I would hate to experience nonpriority service,'' DiCristofaro said. ''If it takes 2.5 hours for a tow truck to appear at a major intersection, I would hate to experience service at a remote location.''

Sherrie Ryan, senior vice president for AAA of Southern New England, called the DiCristofaro delay a ''service failure.'' But she said such incidents are rare. She said AAA of Southern New England, which covers Rhode Island and most of Central and Eastern Massachusetts, provides roadside assistance to approximately 1.4 million members a year and on average only 1 percent of those served, or about 14,000 members, lodge complaints.

I queried Consumer Beat readers on the subject recently and received close to 50 responses. About half complained about the quality of AAA's service and half praised it, a ratio that would seem to favor AAA because disgruntled customers tend to respond more eagerly to such requests.

Most of the criticisms dealt with service delays, which is also the focus of a pending wrongful death lawsuit filed against AAA by the parents of Melissa Gosule. Gosule was raped and killed in 2000 by a stranger who offered her help after a AAA tow truck operator kept her waiting for hours at a Cape Cod rotary.

Michael B. Carpe said he waited three hours on July 23 for a tow from Cambridge to a service station in his hometown of Wakefield. Jonathan Levy said he waited twice as long as he was initially promised for a short tow in April from the Back Bay to Brookline.

''I was surprised that such a large and reputable organization had such dismal service,'' Levy said.

Many of the dissatisfied customers remained with AAA after their bad experience, even though there are alternatives. Cross Country Motor Club, for example, offers roadside assistance services through companies (Chrysler, Liberty Mutual, and Amica, for example) and through Driverselite.com for $49.95 a year. The more expansive AAA basic membership costs $45.

Fans of AAA, including Andrea Phillips of Wakefield, said their service had been quick, efficient, and courteous. Gayle Paquette of Stow said she wished AAA would respond more quickly on service calls, but prized her membership.

''I feel the most important reason to have AAA is the peace of mind someone will respond,'' she said.

There's no doubt AAA commands intense customer loyalty. In addition to roadside assistance, members also have access to auto insurance discounts with Commerce Insurance, travel planning, travel and entertainment discounts, and a host of other services. The southern New England branch has 1.9 million members, about 40 percent of the licensed drivers in its service area. The membership renewal rate is nearly 90 percent.

At the AAA command center in Providence, officials walked me through what appeared to be a highly efficient system for taking calls and assigning tow trucks. Much of the process is computerized, and many tow trucks have mobile computers on board. Forecasting of customer demand for roadside assistance is sophisticated.

''This is a business of probabilities and we do a very good job of planning for them,'' Ryan said.

One concern is how little AAA pays its contract tow truck drivers. They receive a flat base rate that ranges from $16 to $18 a call, depending on the service area. With mileage payments included, the average service call nets $26.

In Massachusetts, nearly all service calls are handled by independent tow operators who cover designated territories. In Rhode Island, by contrast, nearly half of the business is handled by AAA-owned trucks.

The AAA rates pale compared to what tow trucks can charge on police-ordered tows. Those tow rates, which are set by the state Department of Telecommunications and Energy, are $75 for the first hour, $1.25 a mile after the first five miles, and a storage fee of $20 per day.

A Statewide Towing Association official said tow truck drivers sign on with AAA not because the money is good but because they need to keep their expensive trucks as busy as possible.

''If you get two calls, and one's a police call and one's from AAA, which one are you going to do first?'' asked Cindy Martineau, executive director of the towing association, which is in Southborough. (Bruce Mohl - Boston Globe)

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FLORIDA -- While Volusia County Florida is devising regulations aimed at preventing property owners from being able to immediately impound illegally parked cars, the city of Miami is devising a way to get them towed faster.

The city of Miami realizes that impound service is an invaluable and necessary service to the city and property owners alike.

The city launched a 24-hour parking-violations enforcement hotline Friday, intended to speed up ticketing and towing of illegally parked vehicles.

Officials of the cash-strapped city -- where ''Tow Away Zone'' signs are often easier to find than parking spots -- say the hotline is not a money grab.

''This is to enhance the service level for our residents,'' said Nanette Rodriguez, city spokeswoman.

For every ticket issued, 30 percent of fines go to the city's general fund and the rest goes to the county, Rodriguez said.

The city's parking agency also gets a $20 cut on every car towed, Rodriguez said.

In all, the city received $3 million in revenue from $10 million in tickets last year, plus $100,000 from tows.

''The motivation is not to generate revenue. The motivation is for issues related to safety and orderly parking,'' said Mayor David Dermer.

Calls to the hotline will go straight to a dispatcher who can send a tow truck to remove cars from where they don't belong.

The dedicated hotline will free police dispatchers who have until now answered many parking-related complaints, Rodriguez said.

For those whose cars are towed, though, the hotline won't be much help.

''They should call the police department,'' Rodriguez said. (Thanks Joseph) 

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Despite a recent surge in crude oil prices, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided against increasing production. Higher production generally leads to lower prices.

“Having reviewed the current oil market, (OPEC) noted that only very moderate global economic growth rates are expected before year-end, with only normal, seasonal growth in demand being expected for the fourth quarter,” the group said. “In order to maintain stability in the market, (OPEC) decided that agreed production levels would be maintained.”

In the past, OPEC has promised to maintain crude oil prices in a target range of $22 to $28 a barrel. However, oil prices have traded recently above $30 a barrel which is higher than OPEC’s targeted range. Still, member countries agreed to maintain their quotas.

OPEC said it would monitor the market, and if oil prices, which have fluctuated wildly on talk of war between the U.S. and Iraq, continue to rise or fall below its targets, it will take action.

OPEC cut oil production last January, sparking a rally in diesel and gasoline prices. Diesel prices have risen as much as 25 cents over that period. OPEC’s next meeting is on Dec. 12.

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FLORIDA -- Towing companies in Volusia County Florida could face tough new towing regulations if the County Council Passes what they call a consumer protection measure.

The measure would create several stiff regulations including capping the rate that tow operators could charge for police ordered tow at $100 without any official cost study.

According to a Daytona Beach newspaper, one of the problems the ordinance attempts to address is tow trucks that tow illegally parked cars as soon as the driver leaves the area.

When a police officer waits for a speeder in an area where speeding has been a problem, it's called 'a deterrent' and 'good police work', but when a tow truck does the same thing to keep inconsiderate and illegally parked vehicles off a customers lot, somehow that's a bad thing?

The ordinance is expected to be adopted at a September 19th council meeting.

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NEW YORK -- The price for getting towed in Rockland County could more than double in some cases, under a bill the county Legislature is expected to vote on tomorrow.

Instead of being allowed to charge $50 for a daytime tow and $60 at night, tow-truck operators would be allowed to charge $100 in the daytime and $135 at night under the bill proposed by Legislator Kenneth Zebrowski, D-New City. After the initial hookup, wreckers would be able to charge $5.50 per mile, up from $3.50 per mile.

"I think they are deserving of the increase," Zebrowski said.

The county's towing rates apply only to police-ordered towing, called nonconsensual. That includes cars involved in traffic accidents, illegally parked cars or impounded cars. The regulations don't apply to service on the New York State Thruway or the Palisades Interstate Parkway, where fees are set by state police. The county is prohibited from setting price caps for consensual towing, which allows a driver to shop around for the best rate.

Tow-truck driver James Needham of New City said he and other drivers would welcome a rate increase. Tow-truck drivers haven't had a rate increase since 1987, he said.

In that time, Needham said, insurance rates and truck costs have skyrocketed.

The average tow truck can cost about $55,000 and require $5,000 a year in insurance, said John Borowski, vice president for the National Towing Alliance, which represents more than 2,000 tow-truck companies.

Needham said he understood that some people would think the new rates were steep, but added that most people would never notice the increase. He said much of the towing that police call for involves people arrested in crimes, such as driving while intoxicated. At accident scenes, Needham said, many people have auto insurance that covers the price of the towing.

Nyack resident Skip Robokoff said he wasn't sure if $100 was too steep. But, he said, the county should set rates that vary depending on the distance a tower must travel. He said if a tow truck were just pulling a car down the road to the next service station, it shouldn't be treated like a tow across town.

"I think it should be based on distance," Robokoff said.

Zebrowski said he hadn't heard much opposition to the plan to increase the rates. He said when the Legislature held a public hearing in August, no one spoke in opposition to the plan.

The proposed Rockland rates would be some of the highest in the region, topping even tow-truck operators' rates in New York City. Drivers there can charge up to $100 for a tow, day or night, and $3.50 for each additional mile.

Westchester County has no countywide towing regulations. Individual police departments set the rates. If called by the Westchester County police, a wrecker can charge a maximum of $45 for a tow.

Zebrowski said tow-truck drivers provided an important service to taxpayers by clearing accident scenes at all hours of the night, and shouldn't be taken for granted. He said the drivers often were required not only to pull a vehicle away, but clear the roadway of glass, spilled fuel and other debris.

"They are not being properly compensated for their time," Zebrowski said.

The Legislature meets at 8 p.m. tomorrow at the Allison-Parris County Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road, New City. (Jeremy Wallace-The Journal News)

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The national average price of diesel rose 1.8 cents a gallon last week to $1.414, its highest level in a year, the Department of Energy reported Monday.

Diesel prices have been steadily rising for five weeks with the largest 5 week increase, of almost 20 cents, in California.

According to experts, tensions in the Middle East and the threat of war with Iraq is causing diesel prices to rise. They don't expect prices to level out any time soon.

The West Coast had the most expensive diesel, almost $1.56 per gallon. The lowest was in the lower Atlantic states, at close to $1.36, followed by the Gulf Coast at $1.37.

To check the diesel prices in your area go to www.itow.org/fuel.htm.

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WASHINGTON -- A decomposing body was found inside a vehicle after it was towed Friday morning to Grant's Towing in Centralia and an employee noticed a suspicious smell.

Centralia police were summoned about 9:45 a.m. to the business on South Gold Street near East Summa Street and discovered the body inside.

A teal-colored late model car was parked in the fenced impound lot with its trunk open, while detectives at about 3 p.m. waited for a team of crime scene specialists to arrive.

"We can't even tell if it's a male or a female, from as close as we've been able to get so far," said Centralia Deputy Chief of Police Bob Willey. "We believe it's an adult."

The body was to be left where it was found until the specialists from the Washington State Patrol could process the scene, Willey said.

Willey said the vehicle was registered to someone in Lacey, but police learned that individual had sold it this past spring.

Willey said the vehicle had been parked at a location in Centralia and the property owner had called Grant's Towing and asked it be taken away.

A manager at Fuller's Marketplace grocery store on Harrison Avenue said he had called Friday morning to have the Pontiac Grand Am towed away. It had been parked for at least six or seven days in the lot on the east side of the building, he said.

The manager, who declined to give his name, said it's not unusual for vehicles to be abandoned in the lot and he just figured it was a stolen car. The store is less than a half mile west of Interstate 5.

Centralia Interim Police Chief John Boren said police were not yet checking missing person reports as they didn't yet know much about the individual who was found.

In June, a Yakima man was found dead inside the trunk of a burning car on Tono Road along the northern border of the Centralia Steam-Electric Plant property northeast of Centralia. Detectives concluded the man was killed in a drug-related robbery in Shelton and dumped on the rural road near the Lewis-Thurston county line.

This week, as Willey was describing some of Centralia's unique characteristics as they relate to crime to the department's Citizens Academy class, he said that, on average, approximately $7 million in drugs pass through Centralia on Interstate 5 each day, because it is the main north to south drug transport route on the West Coast. Police have not said this death was related to drug trafficking. (Gary J. Cichowski - The Chronicle)

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NEW YORK -- Police arrested four local people for their alleged involvement in a large scale stolen tow truck ring.

The New York State Police Auto Theft Unit in Albany said they have so far recovered nine stolen tow trucks worth about $150,000.

William Marshall, 53, owner of Marshall’s Garage in Willsboro was allegedly involved in the theft of tow trucks throughout New England and then resold them in the Essex County area.

"He submitted suspect paperwork for body work changes over the years and it was kind of a red flag," said Lt. Robert Patnaude of the Auto Theft Unit.

An April search warrant issued for Marshall’s Garage led to the recovery of a 1999 Chevrolet C6500, a large flat-bed tow truck, which was reported stolen from Boston in May 2001.

Police said Marshall replaced the vehicle-identification number of the stolen vehicles with ones from low-value or damaged vehicles. The stolen tow trucks would then be sold to people who would register the vehicle with the replaced number.

Police believe most of the buyers knew they bought a stolen tow truck.

Marshall was charged with second and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, illegal possession of a vehicle-identification number, and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.

Westport-based State Police said Marshall was arraigned in Elizabethtown and sent to Essex County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash and $20,000 bond. He will reappear at a later date.

Three other people were arrested for possession of the stolen tow trucks.

Mark Jarvis, 51, of Peru was charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing. Timothy Benway, 46, of Willsboro was charged with illegal possession of a vehicle-identification number. Scott A. Reyell, 34, of Altona was charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and first-degree illegal possession of a vehicle-identification number.

Westport State Police said the three were arraigned on Thursday and issued appearance tickets. Patnaude said more arrests are possible.

State Police worked with the Department of Motor Vehicles Field Investigators Unit and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. The investigation is continuing and anyone with information can contact the Albany Auto Theft Unit at 433-2674.

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NEW JERSEY -- Thomas Donato, president of T&J Service Center on Kings Road in Madison, heatedly confronted the Borough Council on Monday night over its $7,700 plan to upgrade the police automobile impoundment area on John Avenue.

It was unfair and would cost his business dearly, he said, if the police require cars to be towed there instead of to his lot, because he would be deprived of storage fees. He said he did not object to cars being stored at the impoundment lot if they must be secured for investigative reasons, but if a car has been found abandoned, it should not be taken there, he argued.

"It seems I'm in competition with the police department," Donato said. The only way he can make a profit for towing in a car for the police -often in the early morning hours- is to charge for storing it at his facility, he said.

Mayor John J. Dunne noted there is a new state law requiring the police to impound the car of a motorist charged with driving while intoxicated (DWI) for 12 hours, so there will be more impounds.

Donato reacted, "You're expanding the lot to hold 60, 70 cars. Are you expecting that many DWI's? The bottom line is, who's doing the work and who's getting the money. I have two $60,000 tow trucks. Is the borough going to buy a tow truck?"

Action Delayed

The mayor told the council, "This needs more discussion," and proposed delaying an introduction of the $7,700 ordinance until Monday, Oct. 16.

The money would be spent on lighting and paving at the impoundment lot, which currently is not in use because leaking fluids from cars at the unpaved lot would pose a danger of groundwater contamination.

Councilman George Hayman strongly objected to a delay. "The money has to be spent, no matter what," he argued.

Councilman Edward Rebholz supported the mayor. "I don't think anything will be hindered by waiting," he said.

Hayman said, "I'm flatly opposed to delaying something that has to be done anyway. It's cockamamie."

The mayor told Donato the council would try to come up with a fairer way to handle the situation.

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Ford Motor Co. has unveiled its 2004 F-650 and F-750 Super Duty trucks, the first products to result from the Ford and Navistar International Corp. joint venture, Blue Diamond Truck.

"Ford is reinventing, expanding and updating its entire commercial truck lineup, and a big part of that is the 2004 F-650 and F-750," said Dave Tarrant, Ford's chief nameplate engineer, medium-truck and joint venture products.

Typical uses for trucks in this category include dump, utility, van and stake bodies for construction, urban-suburban delivery, and service applications, Tarrant said.

Three diesel engine families are available with a wide variety of horsepower choices, which include a 3126 Caterpillar 7.2-liter diesel with up to 300 horsepower and 860 ft.-lb. of torque, and a 5.9-liter Cummins ISB diesel engine (available late spring 2003) with up to 260 horsepower and 660 foot-pounds of torque.

Customers also can choose between ten manual and seven automatic transmissions. The base engine will be an all-new direct injection, 32-valve, 6.0-liter Power Stroke diesel with four power ranges, generating up to 230 horsepower and 620 ft.-lb. of torque.

Ford has established a parts joint venture to support the F-650 and F-750. The goal of the joint venture is to enable Ford dealers to service all the needs of diesel truck customers.

Additionally, the parts joint venture offers an all-makes service parts program to eligible Ford dealers. Through the program, dealers gain access to a full range of industry service parts for other OEMs' trucks in the medium-duty segment. (Thanks Mark)

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OHIO -- A sharp eye from a passing motorist foiled a suspect's getaway attempt after a Wednesday afternoon bank robbery on Mahoning Avenue in Warren.

Local tow operator Rick Keith went on a high-speed pursuit of the suspect while he called Warren police on his cell phone to tell them about the robbery. The chase ended with the fleeing suspect losing control of his Cadillac Seville on North River Road and smashing into the ditch, according to the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Police identified the driver of the Cadillac as Amos Hughly Jr., 47, of Warren. Hughly was taken to a local hospital and then airlifted to MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland for treatment of his injuries, police reported.

Hughly is expected to be charged in connection with the armed robbery at First Place Bank in the Jamestown Village Plaza that happened about 2:15 p.m. Police reported a man with a gun went into the bank and robbed it of an undisclosed amount of cash.

Keith, who is owner and operator of National Auto Recovery, said he was driving his tow truck north on Mahoning Avenue at the time of the robbery.

''I saw a guy running from the bank, and he kept looking over his shoulder,'' Keith said.

He also said he saw the man throw what appeared to be a bag in the back of his car and than got in the vehicle. Sensing something was wrong, Keith pulled into the parking lot and asked one of the bank employees who was standing in the front doorway to the bank if something was wrong.

''I asked him if that guy just robbed the bank and he said, 'Yeah, go get him,''' Keith recalled. ''Well, I'm not that bright to begin with, so I went after the guy.''

The tow truck driver said the suspected bank robber almost ran into him as he raced out of the parking lot. Keith said he turned on the flashers on top of his truck and followed the fleeing man north on Mahoning Avenue. Using his cell phone, Keith also called 911 and told dispatchers he was pursuing the suspected bank robber.

''I was just screaming into the phone, 'This guy just robbed a bank,''' Keith said.

The chase continued west on North River Road, where Keith said they reached speeds of almost 90 mph. As they were approaching a bend in the road, Keith said the suspect went around two cars that were in front of him and then lost control of his vehicle. The Cadillac went off the road and broke through a wooden utility post and came to rest in a ditch.

After the crash, Keith said he warned other motorists who stopped to assist the victim to stay back because he was a suspected robber and could be armed. When a trooper from the patrol arrived at the scene, Keith said the trooper didn't see the driver in the car because it was so badly mangled from the wreck. Keith said he looked into the smashed vehicle and noticed the man slumped over on the floor of the passenger side.

Rescue workers from the Warren Township Fire Department had to use the Jaws of Life to rip off the roof of the car to remove the victim.

Lt. George Williams of the patrol said Hughly was conscious while being removed from his vehicle and was talking to rescue workers. Hughly was taken by ambulance to Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital.

Lt. Joseph Marhulik of the Police Department said the victim appeared to have a broken pelvis and some injuries to his chest. Detectives are expected to question Hughly about the robbery at the Cleveland hospital today, Marhulik said.

Williams said Keith certainly acted quickly in this situation.

''With a little help from the public, we were able to catch a bad guy,'' Williams said. (John Grant Emeigh-Tribune Chronicle)

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NEBRASKA -- Nebraskans will soon be paying sales tax when their ailing car is towed to a repair shop.

But the new sales tax on towing doesn't stop there. You'll also be paying state sales tax, and maybe city sales tax, when your car is towed for violating a parking ban or for having accumulated too many parking tickets.

And the tax will apply to uprighting semi-trucks "at $800 a crack," said Tom Gillaspie with the state Department of Revenue. He explained some of the nuances involved in expanding sales taxes to nine additional services during a workshop sponsored by the Nebraska Tax Research Council Monday.

The sales tax expansion begins October 1, the same day the state sales tax rate moves up one-half cent to 5.5 percent, and the same day the cigarette tax increases by 30 cents a pack.

The Revenue Department staff defined the subtleties of the new law based on the language of the law itself and on debate during the 2002 legislative session, Gillaspie said.

One nuance involves the location of the service itself. Whether you pay a city sales tax depends on the location to which the car is towed. That spot, not where you parked the car last, will be used to determine what sales taxes apply, said Gillaspie.

The sales tax rate hike will continue for one year and the cigarette tax increase has a two year life span. But the expansion of the sales tax to additional services is permanent. The three tax changes are part of the Legislature's plan to handle budget problems.

Information on the sales tax expansion is available on the agency's web site: www.revenue.state.ne.us. (Nancy Hicks-JournalStar.com)

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OREGON -- The 47-year-old Keizer man who was shot and killed during a standoff with police last weekend in Pacific City was identified Monday as local towing company owner Michael Alan Joslin.

Joslin had owned and operated Mike’s Towing Service in Salem for about 16 years.

Business continued Monday as employees absorbed the news. A bouquet of irises and carnations sat in the office as mechanics continued to work in the back of the business.

“Business will run as usual,” said head mechanic Joe Freer.

He declined to give any other comments about Joslin or the circumstances that might have led to the standoff with police.

Joslin had no record other than a parking ticket, according to a search of Oregon records.

Police shot Michael Joslin early Saturday after he pointed a rifle and a shotgun at them during a standoff at an RV Park. Joslin died of a single gunshot wound to the upper torso, said Tillamook County Sheriff Todd Anderson.

The Tillamook County Major Crimes Team, an agency composed of county, state and local law enforcement officers, continues to investigate the incident. Anderson said findings will be released this week, at the earliest.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies arrived at the Tomichi Village RV Park about 7:20 p.m. Friday after a man was reported to be drunk and had refused to leave.

When deputies talked with the man, he became agitated, armed himself with a shotgun and retreated into the motor home where he was staying.

Joslin fired one round and said he would not come out.

An Oregon State Police SWAT team responded and negotiated with Joslin into the early morning.

Officials said he left the RV with two guns and refused an order to drop the weapons. Two SWAT team members fired after Joslin pointed the weapons at police. He was hit once in the upper torso and died at the scene.

Joslin is the brother of Charles Joslin, who is serving a life prison sentence after pleading guilty to the 1995 murder of Salem resident Sherry Simonds on the steps of the Salem Family Worship Center. (Stefanie Knowlton-StatesmanJournal.com)

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FLORIDA -- After a car struck a concrete piling on U.S. 17 in Punta Gorda and caught fire Wednesday night, pinning the driver inside, a tow truck was probably not what the man was hoping to see.

But the victim, whose name was not released, was alive late Thursday because tow truck driver Rob Ellis was a quick thinker.

Dee Hawkins, spokeswoman for Charlotte County Fire & EMS, said Ellis used a fire extinguisher from his truck to put out the flames. He used the hook on his truck to yank the door off the wrecked vehicle so he could pull the motorist partly out of his car.

"It was very fortunate for him that the gentleman in the tow truck was there," Hawkins said.

Ellis, who works for Harbor Towing in Port Charlotte, could not be reached for comment.

Hawkins said the injured motorist was airlifted to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, where he was in stable but critical condition. She said he might be transferred to Tampa General Hospital later Thursday night or today.

The man's family was with him at Lee Memorial, she said.

Hawkins called Ellis' actions "a wonderful thing," but said others shouldn't be inspired to emulate him. Ellis had been trained as an emergency worker and knew how to react, she said. People without the same skills might do more harm than good.

"We don't want lay people jumping out of their car and leaping into a burning wreck to save somebody," she said. "They can do more damage to the victim, or to themselves. When EMS arrives, we want to help one patient, not two or three." (Matthew Doig - HeraldTribune.com)

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TEXAS -- The Amarillo City Commission may soon take action on the towing of vehicles from private property and possibly impose maximum caps on prices towing companies can charge.

City Manager John Ward spoke to commissioners Tuesday about regulations other cities have in place and said he will draft a proposal to present for the commission's consideration.

Ward said he has received complaints about nonconsent towing.

"It's usually young people," Ward said. "It's usually people at night clubs where they park in the evening after hours on somebody's property and come out and their car's gone."

Ward said he likes policies in Dallas, which prohibit any financial interest or compensation between property owners and tow companies.

"That prevents somebody just from putting up a sign and getting kickbacks from the tow company," Ward said.

Ward also suggested a towing cap of somewhere in the $80 to $100 range.

In Dallas, the maximum fee is $95 for vehicles weighing up to 10,000 lbs.

Justin Chapman, owner of H&H Wrecker, Amarillo Towing and C&C Wrecker Service, said he charges $150 for small-vehicle impounds, a $10 impoundment fee and $16.23 a day for storage.

"The thing I don't like about price capping is the city and state do not know the volume of putting a cap on it," Chapman said.

"They don't put enough knowledge and research into what it costs to run a tow truck or towing business," he said.

Mayor Trent Sisemore said he likes Dallas' policy requiring the towing company to release the car if the owner arrives before it is removed from the property.

"That keeps a guy that's working the tow truck from getting beat up by somebody that comes out of a nightclub drunk," Sisemore said. "It seems like a safety issue to me."

Chapman disagrees, and said this policy could contribute to drunken driving.

"When you park on a person's private property, you're wrong, especially when there's signing saying no parking" Chapman said. "Why should we cater to drunks in Amarillo, Texas?"

Ward said he probably will call Amarillo towing companies before presenting a proposal to the commission in a few weeks. (Thanks Tim)

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After months of little change, diesel prices have surged 8.5 cents, including an almost two-cent jump for the week ending Sept. 2.

The average price of a gallon of diesel closed higher at $1.388, up almost 2 cents from the previous week, according to government figures. Higher oil prices and the Labor Day holiday influenced the price spike, say fuel analysts. Oil traded above $30 a barrel near the end of August, responding to lower imports and talk of war with Iraq.

For the week, prices were higher across the country, with the biggest surges in the West. California and Rocky Mountain tow operators faced 3-cent increases at the pump. Elsewhere, increases were more modestly paced. In New England, prices rose only 1.1 cents.

The current average is 10 cents cheaper than the same week in 2001.

For diesel prices in your area go to www.itow.org/fuel.htm.

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