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Albuquerque auto theft: Victims paying the price in tow fees - YouTube
Channel: KRQE
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victims across the state are having to
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pay hefty fines for something they
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didn't ask for suppose change at the
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state level for victims of car theft on
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special assignment News 13s Gabrielle
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Burkhart looked into why stolen vehicles
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are racking up fines once they've been
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found she's old Dan Monahan knows now
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that age doesn't make a lick a
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difference to a thief
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it's a 1997 Nissan pickup big rid he
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recently joined the club no one signs up
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for when someone swiped big bread from
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right outside his home in Northeast
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Albuquerque we thought it was wise to
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put the least expensive vehicle out
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front and parked my wife and my normal
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day car in the garage that didn't turn
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out that well he came home from work on
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a Monday evening noticed his truck was
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missing and called Albuquerque Police to
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file a report it was a loss we just said
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it's gone not knowing you need the back
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story what Dan didn't know was that
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hours earlier while he was at work APD
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actually found his truck stalled and
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abandoned just down the block you see
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whoever stole it likely couldn't drive a
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stick-shift
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and gave up before attempting the
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freeway
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APD had the truck towed to get it out of
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traffic
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but even after reporting it stolen Dan
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had no clue we're not gonna get it back
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if we get it back it's gonna be torn up
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if we it's not torn up it's you know
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somewhere in Canada or Mexico or who
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knows where
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but someone did know his truck never
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reached the border or got scrapped for
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parts instead it's at for a week at Town
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& Country towing on South Broadway
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racking up daily storage fees Dan
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finally learned that when he got a call
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from an APD officer the following
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Saturday it took that long to find out
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that they always had it it seems there
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could have been something connected here
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APD officer Simon drobik says the
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department does have a system to connect
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those dots and they do try to contact
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owners when we document the license
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plate when we toes something it should
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sync up in our systems it's a situation
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where this one just seems to falling
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through the cracks
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make no mistake Dan is happy to have his
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truck back especially since it wasn't
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damaged but it came with a price two
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hundred and fifty two dollars to Town &
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Country towing 100 for the tophi 15 for
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mileage and $120 for storage fees plus
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tax it almost seems like the system is
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victimizing the victim again the storage
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fees for each tow yard is regulated by
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the state at $15 a day dan points out he
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can park his truck in a covered garage
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at the airport for just $10 a day it was
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pricey dirt each day that goes by the
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total goes up once a stolen or abandoned
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vehicle is towed it's up to the tow
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company to contact the registered owner
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that process is outlined by the state we
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have three days to obtain the MVD
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records and another two days to get the
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certified letter our Jason burrows owns
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Town & Country towing he says in Dan's
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case his company followed the law APD
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actually alerted to him to where his
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vehicle was located before we could even
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alert him through the certified mail
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which was within the time frame of the
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statute
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dan isn't the only victim to pay the
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price for getting back a stolen vehicle
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should that change settle there's got to
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be a better way
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we took our questions to the New Mexico
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Public Regulation Commission which
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regulates tow companies across the state
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should the law change for crime victims
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when it comes to storage fees I think it
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should PRC commissioner Valerie Espinoza
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says she's interested in taking this
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question to the Commission and may ask
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for a moratorium on storage fees for
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victims of auto theft as the law stands
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tow companies can use discretion when it
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comes to customer charges and I would
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encourage them to work with you know the
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the people that have they've impounded
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their vehicles the PRC will investigate
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if someone files a complaint but
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oversight is limited there are 321 tow
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companies across the state and just five
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CRC inspectors visiting businesses every
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three years I think we should be more
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active meanwhile Breaux says his company
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does work with customers but Dan's bill
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he believes is fair well we feel bad for
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victims our expenses don't change and
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our expenses aren't capped just this
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year the PRC approved added costs that
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tow companies can now charge for things
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like standby wait time driveshaft
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axle removal or use of dollies and snow
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chains they hadn't had a rate increase
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in over ten years they felt that you
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know it was needed the Commission
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approved that while toe fees can be
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expensive Bros argues it's a necessary
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expense trying to take advantage of
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anyone in this case would be wrong he
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says drivers should consider the crime
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rate and full coverage insurance while
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police are taking calls this yard paints
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a picture of Albuquerque's auto theft
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problem as for big red even though she
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may not be the flashiest pickup it's
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back home dan knows what she's worth to
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him The Ballad lives in the garage on
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special assignment Gabrielle Burkhart
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KRQE news 13
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one thing drivers can do is make sure
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your registration address is up-to-date
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otherwise you may not get
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notified if your car was towed we've
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posted more information about Ray
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charges and what to do if you have a
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problem with the tow bill just go to
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always-on krqe.com
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