Beware!!!

The neighbor quoted was Larry Blevins (21660 frame)... He's 2 doors down from me on Frame square, but he's moving in a few days. Real nice guy! If I see him, I'll let him know to contact you... I'm not sure if he's alreadt moved out or not...

 

At 12:35 today I saw a black tow truck drive north on Claiborne and turn right onto the Greenway with a tan minivan on the flatbed and pulling a small white car. Neither of the cars being towed had tags on.

 

Here is an update.

Well I guess I mean a lack of update.

The officer has not contacted me since last friday, thats one week and counting at this moment.

This is F'ing rediculous, really makes you wonder why you pay taxes.

wlong@vt.edu

 

I'd call them every day and ask for an update. They'll get tired of it pretty quick and maybe get things done.

 

The owner of the explorer tried that and he just didn't answer his phone or call her back. Thats when he started calling me. I am getting very close to calling every media source and telling my story. You know the story I held back on when the lady from the loudoun mirror tried to get t out of me. I gave them a chance but at some point I will get fed up and let out all the dirt. Then sue everyone.

wlong@vt.edu

 

Call 7 on your side. It's on their website.

 

From the Loudoun Times Mirror

Towed cars spark Sheriff's probe
By Emily Tjelmeland
07/20/2004


Two cars parked along Ashburn's Frame Square were towed July 13. That's a fact. The rest of the story – including why the cars were towed in the first place – depends on who you ask.


The incident has become a war of words, with the tow truck company saying the Broadlands Homeowners Association requested that both cars, a green 1993 Volkswagen Corrado and a green 1996 Ford Explorer, be towed. The association is saying they knew nothing about it, according to Kraig Troxell, Sheriff's Office spokesman.


After investigators were alerted to the incidents, they located the cars, which were impounded at the hands of Bodyworks of Virginia Inc. of Leesburg.

"What we are investigating is whether they were rightfully towed," Troxell said.

Troxell said the case has broadened to look into allegations that the Bodyworks tow truck driver who removed the cars also removed both cars' license plates, scratched the paint on both cars and stole personal items from one car. Both incidents are listed as a "motor vehicle theft" in the Sheriff's daily incident report, also noting the cars have an approximate combined worth of $26,000.

Larry Blevins, who lives on Frame Court, said he witnessed one of the cars being removed.

"The guy just stole the car, basically. He took the tags off the car," he said. "I suspected nothing. I didn't even give it a second thought."

Troxell confirmed that the cars were traced by the Virginia Department of Transportation Smart Tags still left secure on the dash. The cars were taken separately the same afternoon through the toll booth, headed west on Dulles Toll Road.

Bodyworks owner, Bill Lickey, said he's been in business for 30 years and never had a problem like this. He said the company simply responded to what he thought was a legitimate request from the association president.

Lickey said the car was already being towed when he called the man's number back for more information. Instead of getting the HOA president for Broadlands, he got a lifeguard at the Ashburn Village pool.

"That's when I realized I have been duped. I have never had this happen before," he said. "I am a victim, just like the people down there."

In response to allegations that personal belongings were stolen from one of the cars, he denied any sort of wrongdoing.

"We don't take anything out of the cars," he said.

He said he doesn't usually tow cars without a contract, and that he "was just trying to keep people happy" when he responded to this particular request. He extended his apologies to the car owners, who incurred no towing fees during the incident.

"It's a hoax," he said. "It was totally an honest mistake on my side."

But the HOA says otherwise. Although the HOA was reluctant to respond at first, HOA General Manager Wesley Schroeder was eager to dispel accusations that his organization had a hand in the incidents.

He said Broadland's bylaws allow for two written notices before a towing company is contacted via a faxed towing request, complete with Schroeder's signature. When asked if the association has a contract with a local towing company, Schroeder said although there is no formal contract, the same towing company is used in almost every instance – and Bodyworks is not the one.

"The association did not authorize any tows," he said. "No one else is authorized to tow there that I know of."

Troxell said investigators were just as confused by the situation as the parties involved, but are working hard to find out who was responsible for towing the cars and if it was legal

"We are still trying to determine what happened," Troxell said. "There is a possibility that charges will be filed."

 

mdcrim posted that article back on the 21st.

 

It's strange that it is never revealed who the "man" was who called the owner of Bodyworks to have the car towed. I know he said in the article that it was the homeowner president...but didn't he have a name written down? And why did the owner of Bodyworks "call him back for more information" AFTER the car was already towed?? Did they ever think of pulling the phone records from the Ashburn Village pool lifeguard house phone, where the supposed call was initiated from (i.e., why would the Bodyworks owner have that number for making the return call?) Anyone with a grudge could easily slip in and use that phone...and the plot thickens![8D]

 

The HOA President is a woman, not a man........

 

VTK/Bekkasmom ... any more progress in the case?

 

No one says that they used the phone at the pool to call the company. It was just the number that was given to them, I wouldn't be surprised that the name given to them was also false.

Evidently, the company has a good reputation in Purcellville. Of course, having spent 30 years in the county, the guy probably works on a phone call and a handshake. I would suspect that he never thought that someone would do such a thing. I'm all for giving the owner of the company the benefit of the doubt. That said, I believe he should get in touch with his bonding company and pay for the damages caused.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

He gave the name of the HOA guy, Les or Wes or something I forget and the number he had was to the pool. My problem with it is that he says he knew there was a problem when he called for more info and got the pool. Why at that point do you not call the HOA, the police, me or my neighbor to let them knew something was up. There is no way one of my neighbors called to have this done. My car as well as my neighbors have been parked in the general area for years now (97 for me), why all of the sudden a problem. All of the cars parked in that area are the second third or fourth car of the residents. Just to point this out, the two spots our cars were in were the closest to the exit from the neighborhood, you know where a tow truck can pull up, hook up the cars and be out within minutes. Non of it makes sense, its basically a bunch of bull$hit to cover up the fact they stole our cars, bottomline. If is was a duping as the owner said then pull the phone records and prove someone called it in and charge them with wrongdoing. I can scribble a name and number on a peice of paper, days after it was supposedly written.

Right now the cops are setting up a lie detector for the driver, which makes no sense since the owner, from my understanding is the one who took the phone call and also called the pool to get more info.

wlong@vt.edu

 

I think it is entirely possible that someone from your neighborhood called to have the cars towed. I am not familiar with your neighborhood, however, I for one do not like it when a person who has their own driveway continually parks in the street in front of my house. Even if there are no laws/HOA guidelines against it, I think it is just plain rude.

Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a thread about bashing on-street parking, but I could see how someone would get tired of looking at a car in front of their house and make a phonecall to get it towed.

That said, it would take a pretty creative person to impersonate the GM of the Broadlands Association and then give a fake number that happens to be for the Ashburn Village pool.

 

It was for the broadlands pool.

The thing is that the spot on the street is right in front of MY house. All of the neighbors in the area know this is my car and no comments have ever made about the car being parked there. I dont know what your section of the broadlands is like but there is absolutly no parking. Yes we have a driveway and a garage but we have more than 2 cars (4 people). Our neighborhood is basically a free for all and every possible spot is taken up every night. There have been times when I had to park 200 yards from my house on the other side of the circle.

On top of that, the first car was towed at 1pm. Needless to say if you have a problem with my car being there at that time when there are 20 spots open then you have an issue.

wlong@vt.edu

 

Are you sure it was the Broadlands pool? I was talking to Wes about this and he said the number was for the Ashburn Village pool, the Times Mirror article also states this.

As far as impersonating the GM of Broadlands, Wes' name is in every Broadlands newsletter, and on the first page of the HOA website.

Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Maybe it was the village pool. Either way its all BS!

wlong@vt.edu

 

Just to let everyone know the case has been dropped by the police department. They gave the driver a lie detector test and he passed with flying colors. I asked why they did not give the owner one since he is the one who supposedly took the phone call. They dont feel it is necessary to spend any more money on the case. They also do not feel it is necessary to pull phone records to prove there was a phone call made, even if there was it would be nice to know who hates me and wanted my car towed. They also dont want to spend the money on another supena to find out from the donation company who towed the brown van that has since been forgotten about. I find it funny that multiple witnesses saw the van on the back of the truck that the explorer was towed with and bodyworks denies the van totally.

All media sources possible will be notified today so that me and my neighbor can tell our side of the story. Me and my lawyer will also be meeting this week to figure out what steps we can take in court.

wlong@vt.edu

 

This bites. I wish you good luck in trying to get some justice on this case. I think it is weird that there is so little publicity about this even from police, nothing on the sheriff website at all (http://inetdocs.loudoun.gov/sheriff/docs/newsreleases_/index.htm).

M.

 

Of course not, because they do business with this company. The officer even told me he had delt with them on many occasions, there were cruiser doors sitting on theirlot in piles and a recently retired officer I know said bodywork is done there all the time and they use them for tow jobs. He used to be up there very often and used to know everyone that worked there.

Convenient isn't it.

wlong@vt.edu