Adventures of A.T

Prosecutors: Ohio Business Stole Vehicles

A West Chester, Ohio, woman, her two daughters and two other men were indicted Dec. 28 on a total of 79 felony charges in connection to a scheme involving the woman’s repossession business stealing vehicles, according to court documents.

Virginia Kidd, 44, is facing 21 felony charges including multiple counts of theft, forgery, tampering with records and defrauding creditors. Her 21-year-old daughter, Regan Kidd, is facing 21 similar charges.

Virginia Kidd’s 27-year-old daughter, Destiney Kidd, was indicted on eight felony charges including the same charges as her mother and violation of certificate motor vehicle title law.

The Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office said that banks and creditors would contact Virginia Kidd’s business to repossess vehicles from people who had failed to make payments.

Investigators claim the group would repossess the vehicles then submit forged and faked documents to the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles to obtain titles to the vehicles in their own names.

The group would then contact the banks and creditors and fabricate stories about why the vehicles could not be returned, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Liroi Kennedy, 43, of College Hill has also been indicted in the case. He has been charged with 16 felony charges, multiple counts of theft, forgery, tampering with records and defrauding creditors. Elinor Anderson of Decatur, Ga., has been indicted with 11 similar charges.

The prosecutor’s office said an investigation into the group was launched after the bureau of motor vehicles noticed problems with paperwork they had filed.

Source: cincinnati.com.

Wings Of Angels

In this day, with so many reports of towers losing their lives in the line of duty, many pray to the heavens for protection.

Too many tow businesses and families have been devastated by the loss of a loved one, like the family of Blake Gresham, who lost his life four years ago on the roadside. He was only 18.

His father, James, owner of GT Tow Service of Kansas City, Mo., had beautiful wings placed on the hood of their award-winning 2013 Peterbilt 388/Century 9055 unit to honor Blake’s memory. Blake’s truck number, 42, along with an elegantly scripted tribute, “In Loving Memory,” also appears on the hood.

“The truck originated in Florida where we bought it,” Gresham said. “It pretty much came as you see it, with the same black and lime-green colors. We added our logo and upscaled the alligator.”

The alligator is one of the standout graphics found on the cab; it’s portrayed as a superhero with a “42” tattooed on its right shoulder, along with the company name across its muscular forearm. The three-stage boom also prominently displays the company name.

The company brand is projected through an easy-to-read logo in a large, vibrant red against a black background with lime-green racing stripes.

by George L. Nitti

“Our trucks are all painted different colors,” Gresham said. “We don’t want people to mistake them for the same trucks. We want them to know that we have a variety. Different colors make them each standout, but our logo is always the same.”

But it is the exquisite wings that make this unit soar, helping to memorialize the loss of a loved one and mark the perils of being a towman.

Editor’s note:

This story originally ran on AT’s sister site, towindustryweek.com, which features industry news, training, recoveries, new products and more. Don’t miss out—make sure to read it each week. George L. Nitti has written for

American Towman since 2009.

He started out as a news writer and now writes a weekly feature on TowIndustryWeek.com, Tow

Illustrated, which spotlights the tow truck graphics.

Man Drags Car Away from Agents

A Grant County, Wis., man was arrested recently after threatening repossession agents and dragging the repossessed car away from them, officials said.

Grant County sheriff’s deputies received a call Dec. 21 around 4:30 p.m. from Easton Motors of Wisconsin Dells asking for help with the repossession of a vehicle in Castle Rock Township, according to a release. The callers said a business owner was causing a disturbance with the repossession agents.

Deputies found a 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo in the middle of County Road G at Witek Road, officials said.

The two repossession agents repossessed the Monte Carlo in Iowa and were repossessing another vehicle from the Castle Rock Township location when 32-year-old John Gillingham of Muscoda threatened the two agents, according to the release.

When the repossession agents left the location and stopped to attach the second vehicle to a tow truck, Gillingham connected the Monte Carlo to his Ford truck and dragged the car to the middle of County Road G, deputies said. The Monte Carlo had flat spots on the tires due to Gillingham dragging the car while it was in park.

Gillingham was arrested on tentative charges of criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct.

Source: channel3000.com.

Gillingham connected the

Monte Carlo to his

Ford truck and

dragged the car to the middle of

County Road G.

Driver Doesn’t Like Wash. Plan

Washington state plans to open up parts of Interstate 5 to allow shoulder driving starting this summer, when the state will let buses drive part of the shoulder south of Everett.

But Amanda Batterson of Skip’s Everett Towing said she doesn’t like that idea.

“It’s really frightening to me that they want to use our workspace as a road,” Batterson said. She operated a tow truck until she was hit by a car. She said the policy endangers police officers and emergency responders as well as towers.

Washington state says it will keep everybody safe by closing down the shoulder when there’s an accident.

Source: kuow.org.

Barnett New APTRA Executive Director

Angela Roper Barnett is the new executive director of the Arizona Professional Towing & Recovery Association. Roper replaced Patricia King, effective Jan. 1.

Barnett comes with close to 20 years of experience in the towing and recovery industry. She has owned two towing companies in Texas and has been an industry instructor for 10 years.

While active in the towing industry, Barnett served in volunteer roles with Towing and Recovery Association of America and Women’s Towing and Recovery Association of America. She was awarded the Tow Woman of the Year award by WTRAA in 2007.

“Angela’s wealth of experience in this industry as well as associations, will make her an excellent addition to APTRA’s team,” said Conor Gleason, president of APTRA.

TowShow.com

Pa. Woman Suing Repo Firm, Others

A Philadelphia, Pa., woman is suing American Credit Acceptance, Par North America, International Recovery Systems and Clifford Williams, alleging violation of debt collection laws, breach of contract, assault and battery, conversion and negligence.

Kangi E. Crews filed a complaint alleging improprieties in the repossession of a vehicle, including claims she was falsely charged with offenses in cases that were then dismissed.

The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible on a variety of allegations, including a claim that Williams’ background should have kept him from working as a repossession agent.

Crews requests a trial by jury and seeks statutory damages, actual damages, court costs, treble damages and punitive damages.

Source: pennrecord.com.