Former Houston firefighter Barry Crawford was in court for a probation hearing.
Crawford was convicted of murder after shooting a wrecker driver in 1998. Steven Ray Hardin was trying to tow Crawford's vehicle when he was gunned down.
A jury gave Crawford probation and 1,000 hours of community service, but the Hardin family says he’s been skirting those orders and they're furious.
A judge reimposed 400 hours of community service and ordered Crawford to give up his tax stimulus check to help pay restitution.
But the family did not get an apology. They say there’s never been one.
“You could at least say ‘your sorry’ to his sister, his mother,” said one courtroom observer. “What kind of man are you Crawford? You’re a coward, that’s what you are, a murdering coward.”
“This is his sister. You didn’t even apologize to her. If I could get to you ... " said another woman.
“It hurts that he can walk the streets,” said the victim’s sister, Tonya Hardin.
“My brother is not here and he’s free. It is not right. Probation for murder is not right. It never will be right,” she said.
Under Crawford’s probation requirements, he’s supposed to carry a picture of the man he killed in his wallet. He is also required to carry a sign, five times a year, that says “ I murdered a citizen in Humble."
The judge put Crawford on notice that he will go to jail if he does not complete his community service.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Former TX Firefighter Convicted of Killing a Tow Truck Driver Faces Anger and Tears
Towing Happenings This Weekend
St. Louis, MO: May 17-18 Two Day-Heavy Duty Class By Wes Wilburn Consulting 910-486-8928 weswilburn@aol.com
Hampton Beach, NH: May 17-18: The New Hampshire Towing Association in cooperation with Dave's Garage, 321 Ocean Blvd., Hampton hosts the 36th anniversary Tow Truck Show on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18.
On Saturday, there will be a tow truck rodeo from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Hampton Beach State Park with various activities such as a judged obstacle course, tow truck beauty contest, demonstrations, vendors, recoveries and a police K-9 demonstration. On Sunday, the association attempts to break the Guinness World Record by having the most tow trucks in a parade.
The parade starts at 9 a.m. and will follow Ocean Boulevard, High Street, Route 1 and take Winnacunnet Road back to the beach. Families are encouraged to watch the parade from any point along the route. The current record for most tow trucks is 83. Tow trucks for all over the New England will participate in Sunday's parade. (This report from Seacoastonline.com.)
Updated Information from the MN Professional Towing Association
Here's an update sent from Jeff Schoenborn of Chief's Towing:
more to the story, The state did pass this bill however with some changes that I think all towers can live with. Now before somebody can take all there property without paying there bill they must show proove they are not able to pay for it. (see below)
24.9168B.051, a registered owner who provides documentation from a government or
24.10nonprofit agency or legal aid office that the registered owner is homeless, receives relief
24.11based on need, is eligible for legal aid services, or has a household income at or below 50
24.12percent of state median income has the unencumbered right to retrieve any and all contents
24.13without charge and regardless of whether the registered owner pays incurred charges or
24.14fees, transfers title, or reclaims the vehicle.
I think we can live with this. We do have hearts and some people fall on hard times and the majority of the people wont fall into this category.
GREAT WORK by Virg Siewart Siewarts Garage Red Wing, MN and the rest of the MPTA along with those who made the effort to be heard. Now it's time to tackle other problems ***FUEL PRICES***
Jeff Schoenborn Chief's Towing
Three Arrested for Illegally Towing Vehicles in CA
Read the full story here.Oxnard police have arrested three people on suspicion of robbery and grand theft auto after an investigation of alleged illegal towing practices.
Two of those arrested — Bryan Keith Eckenrode, 30, of Ojai and Bryan Linnaeus Booher, 32, of Camarillo — are tow-truck drivers for Buena Towing of Ventura, police said. The third, Tanya Marie Miranda, 30, of Oxnard, is a security guard for Gold Coast Security in Ventura, which provided security at several privately owned parking lots where some of the tows occurred, according to police.
The Friday arrests came after a nine-week investigation by Oxnard police of alleged "predatory towing," in which a towing company illegally removes vehicles and sometimes overcharges to release them to their owners, police said.
The state passed a law against such practices in 2007 to protect consumers, Oxnard traffic Sgt. Randey Cole said Monday.
Revised Ordinance In Gainesville, FL Allows Higher Rates for Police Towing
Read the full story here.A recently revised ordinance allows wrecker companies to charge more than they have in the past when the police department calls them to the scene of an accident, to pick up an abandoned car or the vehicle of someone who has been arrested.
Gainesville police Capt. Chad White said the changes in the ordinance, passed by the Gainesville City Council last week, were long overdue.
"We’ve already had an ordinance in play, but it hasn’t been updated in many years," he said.
Both White and the owners of some of the wrecker companies the police department relies on to respond to its calls say fuel costs are one of the main reasons the changes were necessary.
Monday, diesel prices in Gainesville were as high as $4.29 a gallon, and the old ordinance did not allow for higher fuel costs or the extra work it takes to respond to city police calls, said Keith Chandler, co-owner of A-1 Towing and Wrecker Service.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Towing Headlines
From Portland, OR: Tow truck, grandma in standoff over disabled parking spot
From Tampa Bay, FL: State senator Victor Crist's proposed towing regulation bill fails for 13th time
From Battle Creek, MI: Towing company fire under investigation
MA Tow Truck Driver Hit By Drunk Driver
Here's the story from the Taunton Daily Gazette:
A tow truck operator was taken by MedFlight to a trauma unit in Boston after being struck by a drunk driver on Liberty Street at about 8:30 Friday night.
According to police, Charles Solimine, 30, of Union Street, was in the process of attaching a vehicle to his flat-bed tow truck when he was hit by a Toyota SUV. The driver, Antonio Resendes, 59, of Liberty Street, was unable to respond to initial questioning from police at the scene and was later arrested and charged with drunk driving (with serious bodily injury) and reckless driving.
Solimine was taken by ambulance to Morton Hospital before being flown to the intensive care unit at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
A friend who visited Solimine on Saturday said he sustained multiple injuries after he was crushed between the black Acura on his truck and the gray Toyota 4Runner driven by Resendes. Witnesses said the flatbed was tilted when the accident occurred.
Doctors operated on Solimine to treat injuries that included a broken hip, broken ribs, several leg fractures, significant knee damage and a punctured lung. He was expected to require extensive physical therapy as well as additional surgery as part of his recovery.
Solimine is an employee of Mike’s Towing and Recovery in Taunton.
After failing a field sobriety test, Resendes was arrested and taken to the police station were he registered .20 percent blood-alcohol content after taking a breath test. The state limit is .08 percent. He told police he had consumed three beers and a shot that evening.
tfaulkner@tauntongazette.com
Friday, May 9, 2008
"Hunks of Towing" - Are YOU Tow Man Enough?
Now, this is what you call FUN-draising! I'll definitely be one of the first in line to get one of these!!!
Tow Times is hosting the contest and the 2009 calendars will sell for $10 each. The goal is to raise $10,000 to benefit the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum and the Women of the Towing and Recovery Association of America's Scholarship Fund. Plus, it's positive attention for the towing industry. Entries will be posted on the Tow Times website soon.
Here's what they're looking for in a "Hunk": Well-dressed, very presentable men (Keep the family in mind, guys!) DEADLINE: July 31 so get going!! Click HERE for the rules.
The WTRAA will pick the winners and the 8 1/2" by 11" calendar will feature photos of the winning "Hunks" and their rigs at the top with product and message placement of exclusive sponsors.
If you'd like to help sponsor, contact Tow Times' agent, Jeff Smith, at jeffsmith@fan-a-sea.com or call 407-699-5655 for all the details.
Prosecutors to Review Death of TX Tow Truck Operator
Johnson County prosecutors will review the traffic accident that killed a tow truck driver late Sunday on the south side of Burleson, a spokeswoman for the city said.
William David Stone, 26, died when he was hit at 10:18 p.m. by a car while trying to remove another car from the shoulder of south Interstate 35W, according to reports.
The driver of the car that hit Stone, Kevin Lamar Williams, told officers that he fell asleep at the wheel, said Sally Ellertson, the spokeswoman.
Williams, 20, of McGregor, which is southwest of Waco, was cited for failure to drive in a single lane and for no insurance, Ellertson said.
Prosecutors, however, will review the case, she said.
"Standard procedure in a traffic accident involving a death is to forward the case to the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office for review," Ellertson said.
In such cases, prosecutors might decide to put the case before a grand jury, which will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to conduct a trial on criminal charges.
Williams did not have to go to the hospital following the accident, Ellertson said. A passenger in the tow truck was not hurt, she added.
Stone was hooking onto a Mitsubishi GT3000, which was partially up on the flatbed wrecker, when a Chevrolet car driven by Williams crashed into the Mitsubishi, according to earlier reports.
Next, the Chevrolet struck Stone, the reports stated.
Stone, the father of five children, died at the scene.
Bill Miller, 817-390-7684
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tow Truck Owner Honored By State of ME
A 20-year Mexico towing service owner, who won a national towing award last fall, was honored by the 123rd Legislature on Saturday afternoon in front of family and friends inside the new Mexico Lions Hall.Read the entire story here.
During the small ceremony, Rep. Sheryl J. Briggs, D-Mexico, presented a surprised Roland Patneaude, owner of Roland's Automotive on River Road, with legislative sentiment.
The document recognized Patneaude's induction on Nov. 16 into the national Order of the Towman at the American Towman Wrecker Pageant in the World Trade Center at Baltimore.
Patneaude - the only one from Maine - was one of 63 nationwide tow truck owners honored for their dedication to towing and the communities they serve.
Shots Taken at Tow Truck Driver, Near TV Reporter
Towing Headlines
From Peoria, IL: Pekin Towing Ordinance Worries Truck Drivers
From Longview, TX: Wrecker Fees To Rise?
From Seattle, WA: Thousands Spent On Freeway No-Parking Signs
Important News from the MN Professional Towing Association
Just want to inform everyone that the Senate passed Senate File #3223. This pertains to abandoned motor vehicles and personal property. It basically says that even if the party does not pay the tow bill or impound fees that we have to release personal property to the owner.
Please take a few minutes to call the Governor's office and let them know that we are strongly opposed to this bill. If you have any questions, please contact Phil Collins at 612-221-3472. The phone numbers for the Governor's officer are 651-296-3391 or 1-800-657-3717.
towPartners' Budget GPS Aids Recovery of $400K Tow Truck
BudgetGPS Service Used to Recover $400,000 Truck After Theft
Dallas, TX , May 06, 2008 --(PR.com)-- On April 20, 2008, a 2007 Kenworth truck equipped with a Century XP-850 wrecker body was stolen from the Marlow’s Fuel Center truck stop in Dallas , TX . The truck was owned by Walnut Hill Wrecker, a WHW Towing Companies Company, based in Dallas , TX . The tow truck operator was off-shift and had parked the vehicle at the truck stop as was his customary practice.
The $400,000 towing and recovery vehicle was stolen from the parking area at the truck stop and was taken to a home in South Dallas where its parts and tools were being stripped. Using the BudgetGPS system from towXchange, the management of Walnut Hill Wrecker was able to notify police of the path of the truck and of its location when it stopped.
“It was amazing how accurate the BudgetGPS system was in locating our truck,” stated Jay Coldiron, Operations Manager for Walnut Hill Wrecker. “We installed the BudgetGPS system less than a year ago and though it pays for itself in many ways, this is the scenario you think about when you buy it. The system was able to pinpoint the actual address where the tools were removed and we were able to recover our truck.”
Mr. Coldiron went to the scene himself and was on-site when police recovered the truck. Using a BudgetGPS history report, Mr. Coldiron was able to play back the path the truck followed to determine where the parts had been removed and police were able to investigate that additional scene in an effort to recover the tools.
“We are proud that our system was able to aid in the recovery of this unit for Walnut Hill,” said Jeffrey Godwin , Vice President of BudgetGPS parent company, towXchange, Inc. “Our customers depend on the system for fuel savings and efficient routing of fleets but we all know that theft is a risk for commercial vehicles. Thankfully a minor investment can protect your biggest assets.”
The truck was recovered and is being returned to service as part of the Walnut Hill Wrecker fleet. The Sprint Nextel powered BudgetGPS system continues to track vehicles in fleets across the United States, prepared for the next truck routing, dispatching or even theft recovery.
See www.budgetgps.com for more information on BudgetGPS.
About BudgetGPS
BudgetGPS is a division of towXchange, Inc. and is a leading provider of vehicle tracking solutions to the towing and recovery industry. In February 2008, BudgetGPS expanded its operations to include offerings to all industries needing tracking services. The BudgetGPS application currently provides quality vehicle tracking solutions to companies of all sizes at very aggressive price points. BudgetGPS solutions are currently serving over 500 customers across the United States and extensive growth is planned for the system. To learn more about BudgetGPS, visit www.budgetgps.com.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Chicago Towing Company Towing Cars Illegally?
Monday, May 5, 2008
2008 Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame Inductees Announced
- George D. Connolly (Westminster, Colorado)
- Richard Daley (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
- William G. Miller (Chattanooga, Tennessee)
- Clarissa Powell (Winter Park, Florida)
- J. Rodney Poynter (Bellevue, Kentucky)
- James Salentine (Greenfield, WI)
- Stephen B. Shinnick (Great Missensen, England)
- Thomas A. Tedford (East Hartford, Connecticut)
Hall of Fame members will be recognized at an induction ceremony to be held at 6 p.m. on September 20th, 2008 at the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel. A full weekend of activities will be held to celebrate this year’s inductees. For more information on the induction ceremony, or to order tickets, call Cheryl Mish at 423-267-3132.