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Repo Leads to Firearms Arrest

More Tow Legislation Coming to Ontario

A repossession of a Mercedes in San Francisco led to the discovery of cache of firearms and explosives. The perpetrator, who had a criminal history, was eventually arrested.

The sequence of events started when 31 year old Cameron Ybarra shot at a repossessor, missing him and putting a bullet in the driver’s side of his car. After he retrieved items out of the car, he went into his residence, where he retrieved an assault rifle and pointed it at the repo man.

The driver “disconnected the vehicle, fled the area and called 911.”

According to a police report, “SFPD investigators from the Crime Gun Investigations Center (CGIC) and Gang Task Force (GTF), along with special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) responded to the suspect’s residence to arrest the suspect and serve a search warrant.”

After officers arrested him, they found inside the house an assault rifle, ammunition, body armor, a silencer, bomb making materials and other things.

Source:crimevoice.com/2021/03/09/ firearms-explosives/

Ontario, which has gotten a bad rap due to “mafia-like tow practices,” is moving toward enacting various reforms, including the licensing of drivers and cracking down on tow violence.

Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney and Solicitor General Sylvia Jones unveiled the suite of measures after a provincial task force on the industry was struck.

“Tow truck drivers are a vital part of keeping Ontario moving, but they are operating in an industry that lacks oversight, structure and where too many criminals are making their own rules,” Jones said.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said incidents of violence (e.g. shootings, assaults and arsons) have been escalating more recently, attributing it to turf wars between “criminal networks seeking to gain control over drug trafficking, frauds and corruption schemes being perpetrated by illegitimate tow truck operators.”

A new restricted tow truck zone pilot project on multiple 400-series highways was also announced.

Source: msn.com

Leo Rinwalske Honored

with Tow Truck Procession

A procession was held in Elmira, NY for Leo Rinwalske, the owner of Rinwalske Towing. He owned and operated Rinwalske Towing for over seventy-five years, succeeding his father who founded the company in 1945. Rinwalske passed away on February 3.

Several tow trucks drove through the neighborhood on Saturday afternoon with sirens flashing and beeping horns in honor of him.

“He lived and breathed Rinwalske Towing, old cars, and especially his family. He deserved to be honored. We want to thank everyone that participated and came out and supported the family and the industry.

Tow Truck procession in Elmira, NY gives tribute to Leo Rinwalske.

Ken Nixon, center, who was found innocent of a crime 15 years ago, was freed from prison.

The love was wonderful. He was our hero,” said his daughters, Michelle Dart, Terri Roberts, Cheryl Rinwalske, and Christine Couse.

Source: weny.com

Wrongfully Imprisoned Tower to be Freed

Ken Nixon, who was a tow truck operator at the age of 18, is being exonerated 15 years later for a crime he did not commit. He was freed on February 18, thanks to the Cooley Law Innocence Project, which has been credited with the release of over 375 wrongfully convicted prisoners.

In 2005, Nixon was wrongfully charged and convicted of taking the lives of two children, 10 year old Raylord McCulley and his sister, 1 year old Tamyah Vaughn. Allegedly he threw a Molotov Cocktail through the window of a home in Highland Park, Mi., causing the fatal fire that would lead to their horrible deaths.

Nixon, who lived near-by, was discovered by police to have gasoline on his clothes. Although he maintained that the gas was due to his job, police acted on the evidence, along with the testimony of a 13 year old eye witness. However, with the evidence thin, they then turned to a jailhouse informant. Ultimately, Nixon was convicted by a jury and sentenced to life without parole.

In 2018, the Cooley Law School Innocence Project delved into the case, finding the informant unreliable and that the conviction may have been obtained unlawfully.

Prosecution is asking the case to be dismissed and that Nixon awarded compensation.

“He is entitled to over threequarters of a million dollars,” said attorney Wolfgang Mueller. “That will at least help him get a head start on repairing the damage that happened.”

Source: fox2detroit.com

Training track in South Raleigh, NC for practicing incident management.

Florida tower Austin Gayne succumbed to injuries after a month-long battle fighting for his life.

Track Provides

Incident-Management Training

The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has created a multi-discipline training track that provides a lifelike classroom for incident responders to practice reallife situations with goals of decreasing incident response time, improving air quality, and helping save the lives of responders.

According to NCDOT communications representative Marty R. Homan, “It gives first responders a chance to practice together without traffic.”

The track was designed to incorporate a broad range of geographic characteristics found throughout the state that allow local agencies to practice responding to various incident types and practicing complex vehicle maneuvers.

The track also gives responders the opportunity to try out new technology, such as the use of drones and new equipment like vehicle mounted message boards. As well, the facility has the capability of recording training exercises to be used for discussion during classroom work.

Source: Ncdot.gov

Tower Downed in Orlando

Tow truck driver Austin Gayne of Johnson’s Wrecker Service succumbed to injuries after he and another worker were seriously injured working roadside on February 1.

They were both hit by a car in Orlando while removing a dump truck from the roadway. A red Buick Century drove through emergency vehicles, leading to an emergency response that involved all parties.

Johnson’s was joined by a fleet of towers later that week, giving tribute to Austin while praying for his recovery. But that was not to be.

On Johnson’s facebook page, it was stated, “Please pray for his family and everyone whose life he touched. The world is less bright without him in it... Rest In Peace Austin. You will forever live in our hearts.”

Source: towforce.net

Massive Pile-up in Ft. Worth/Dallas

Portions of Michigan Tow Law Struck Down

Winter storms and dicey weather conditions in Dallas-Fort Worth early 1/11, led to a 133-car pile-up on Interstate 35, leaving at least 6 people dead in car crashes. It was one of numerous pile-ups reported throughout the area.

Fire Chief Jim Davis said at least 65 people sought medical treatment at local hospitals.

Matt Zavadsky, spokesman for the MedStar ambulance service, said numerous patients were treated and released on the scene.

Also injured were four officers, three of whom were involved in the crash as they were heading to work. One was injured while working the scene, according to the police chief.

The pileup was over a 1.5-mile area, requiring multiple sectors to be set up including extrication, triage, treatment and transport, Davis said.

Many people were trapped in their vehicles, requiring hydraulic equipment to free them, according to Davis.

Zavadsky said 13 ambulances were at the scene along with critical care paramedics and supervisor units.

Source: edition.cnn.com

In Michigan, a law viewed as favorable to the towing industry, was struck down by U.S. District Judge Judith Levy.

After hearing stories from low-income Detroit residents of high fees and frustration in finding vehicles, the judge mandated Detroit to notify the state within 24 hours after police call for a vehicle to be towed. In the past there was no limit, only a notice sent to the car owner.

Vehicle owners can also ask a local court to suspend the immediate payment of towing and storage fees before they get a hearing to object to a car’s impoundment, the judge said.

“You have an opportunity to get into court and fight it,” said Attorney Jason Katz. “I don’t think first asking for $1,000 is fair.”

The judge ruled in favor of 3 complainants, monetarily compensating each.

While the case only involved Detroit, Levy’s decision could be applied elsewhere in Michigan, according to Katz.

Source: crainsdetroit.com ccxmedia.org