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Police: Man steals car back from towing company


Credit: Prince William County police

Geoffrey Alan Todd

By: AMANDA STEWART | Inside NoVA
Published: July 16, 2012


Police said a West Virginia man stole his own car from a Woodbridge towing company's garage Saturday night.

Police responded to New Dominion Towing, at 14381 Pine Lane, at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday to investigate a burglary, said Prince William police spokesman Jonathan Perok.

A towing company employee told police that he had recently towed Geoffrey Allen Todd's vehicle and brought it to the company's lot.

Todd went to the garage Saturday night and tried to make contact with the towing company staff, but found that no one was there, said Perok.

So, Todd found his vehicle in the garage, opened the garage bay door and drove away in his car, police said.

Police obtained warrants charging Todd, 30, of 105 Bertelli Court in Martinsburg, W.Va., with burglary and defrauding a garage keeper.

He turned himself into police, Perok said.

Todd is being held without bond and his next court date is Sept. 4.





I always wondered what the charges would be in this situation.. But wow, - held without bail? Must be more to this story...

Arent towing companies required to have someone answer the phone/be at the office 24 hours a day?

I wish I were on the jury for this case...I'd vote "NOT GUILTY" in a New York minute...fucking tow vultures.

Too bad the guy who towed his car did not get shot in the face

Being held without bond seems extreme to me. He did not kill anyone. He needed his ride back.

I vote NOT GUILTY!

What are the legalities on this, seriously? Assuming of course the tow company had impounded the car as a result of a parking violation or abandonment...

I mean, I get that it's breaking and entering and potentially trespassing but, if all you remove from the premises is a car that you own, is that really theft?

I say NOT GUILTY. Charge is (Enter struc to commit A&B Ect. ) 18.2-91 what is that? Assult & Battery? If no one was there how could he assult them?

Hey, I did this one time long ago when I was in school! lol Didn't have to break into anything though.

The place that towed me was a gas station that had the contract for the school and they left the cars outside on their lot. I waited until after they closed at night and jumped and and tried to start it and... nothing. They pulled the battery cables as standard practice (I obviously wasn't the first). Hooked it back up and I was gone!

Got a letter like a month later (back in the dark ages before everyone had cell phones, email etc.) saying that it was a crime... trespassing... mechanics liens... extra fees owed... would be turned over to collections if not paid... blah, blah, blah. Which probably all was true potentially. Just ignored it and nothing ever became of it. Wouldn't recommend doing the same though these days. I'm sure that they're better at getting after you now and likely would.

He turned himself into police, Perok said. Todd is being held without bond and his next court date is Sept. 4

Held without bond? He took back his own car and he turned himself in. No bond really???

Held without bond?! The fuck is wrong with the court system? The guy was not violent AND turned himself in, not a flight risk in any way.

Screw the towing company to hell, they are all criminals. I would have taken my vehicle back as well if the opportunity arose.

This man...Is my hero!

so all of us are outraged - is any of us going to do anything about it?

like make a phone call to complain? 703-792-6141

edit - that's the court's number - dunno if it will help or not..............guess I'll find out later LoLz



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2012 08:23AM by Gordon Blvd.

make sure u say "Lolz" after every sentence while calling the court, that will make them believe you're serious

Definitely a hero. Here's what I gather from the story though. Doesn't say How or WHy it was originally towed (unless I'm living the stereotype and not reading properly..lol..thats for yall whiteys..lol..I kid..) . For all we know it was "impounded" as opposed to just being Towed. Possibly for drugs, or DUI/DWI. Any of those reasons would justify. The courts work with the towing companies in that respect. Arguments are welcomed. I can't imagine any other reason though. Seeems like he was towed randomly from say, an apartment complex, wouldnt be a big deal.

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> so all of us are outraged - is any of us going to
> do anything about it?
>
> like make a phone call to complain? 703-792-6141
>
> edit - that's the court's number - dunno if it
> will help or not..............guess I'll find out
> later LoLz


Would you recommed bitching out the towing company in question, or complaining to the courts?

Alexander Smith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Held without bond?! The fuck is wrong with the
> court system?

He's guilty of being black in PW County. Black people don't get bonded out. Someone should notify the NAACP.

UKPPV Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Alexander Smith Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Held without bond?! The fuck is wrong with the
> > court system?
>
> He's guilty of being black in PW County. Black
> people don't get bonded out. Someone should
> notify the NAACP.

I don't care if blacks don't get bonded out. For this incident specifically, I didn't factor in race. Just because towing companies target any car they can get their damn truck near.

Maybe because he's from West Virginia and he was considered a flight risk? Sounds like a real menace to society.

NOT GUILTY

a black flight risk from WEST VA?!?!?!?
oh yeah...............HUGE flight risk there

cause yeah - we should be worried he could blend in with the surroundings there

o_0

Held with out bail means someone in viginias government owns a slice of the company, people should dig deep to research the owners, or what they give to election campaigns.

I was at the bail hearing.

Here's a video of what happened...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO-L1PjLp5M

I want my car NOW muthafucka!
Attachments:

i got it wrong - so he's in PW custody? until September? how the fuck much was this car WORTH, anyways? LoLz

cause no offense, but 'hoss doesnt look like he just stole a 7-series from someone.

What's really fucking sad that if any of us has gone to that man's house and stolen his car from him out of his OWN yard, with him watching us do it, and we had gotten caught behind the wheel of HIS car that we STOLE out of his yard the he watched us steal, that we'd have gotten bail.

tell me that's not true, right?

Fuck Towing Companies!!!! This happened to me in RACIST ZIONIST West Virginia!!!! It started when I was LEGALLY OPEN CARRYING in Martinsburg, West Virginia. A fucking rookie kike cop improperly charged me with concealed carry. Hitler was RIGHT about the Jews but WRONG about the blacks. Heil Hitler!!!!! My charge of B&E of the impound lot was DISMISSED when I paid restitution to the victims. Trooper Alatta of WV State Police is a STUPID SPIC

Todd got off, nolle pross on both charges

Still spent a month in jail, tho?

Tow truck drivers are some of the lowest scum on this Earth. They lie, cheat, and prey upon drivers that are LEGALLY parked.

Just pay a bit more and park in a private parking garage to avoid becoming a victim.

Still tho Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Still spent a month in jail, tho?

The Commonwealth's Attorney knew that any jury he tried this case before was going to have at least one person vote not guilty regardless of what the facts might have been, and there was a very good chance the whole jury would nullify.

Jury nullification happens when a jury refuses to convict someone they believe to be guilty. Since the "victim" in this case was Dominion Towing, a known predatory tow company, the likelihood that there would be at least one stealth juror was pretty high.

So, since the Commonwealth's Attorney knew that the only jail time Todd would serve would be pretrial custody, he asked for no bond using the pretext that Todd living in West Virginia made it unlikely that Todd would show up for trial.

In short, the CA abused his authority by administering an extrajudicial punishment to this guy, knowing full well he'd never be able to get a conviction and that he'd eventually have to nolle pros the case.

So the guy was charged with "burglary and defrauding a garage keeper"?

Interesting. Not the garage's property and no contract between the car's owner and the garage. That's some racket.

I'm a little unclear on how they got him if he was in another state.

And why does the towing company leave their shit unlocked? Someone should tell their insurance company or bonding agency about that shit.

I like this guy.

Still tho Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Still spent a month in jail, tho?


I never had even thought about that....that's fucked up. Probably lost whatever job he had, defaulted on payments, etc.