Impound Lot Sells Stolen Car, Refuses To Give Proceeds To Owner

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A woman in St. Louis, Missouri is seeking compensation after her car was stolen recovered and sold. Her 2006 Pontiac G6 was recovered by the police, but the city tow lot sold the vehicle without informing the aggrieved owner that it was even found. Now, the lot is stating that the owner doesn’t deserve the proceeds from the sale.

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Rachel Addison wasn’t even able to get her G6 insured before it was taken. She told KTVI that she bought the sedan for $3,000. The impound lot only sold the G6 for $650. She called the lot for a month, hoping that the Pontiac would show up. However, the lot admitted to the TV station that it violated protocol in selling the car:

“The tow lot has a specific set of protocols that must be followed prior to the sale of any vehicle in its possession, including verification of ownership. Regarding this Pontiac G6, the double verification process was not properly followed… To improve our internal processes, the division’s policies have been changed to ensure that every step in the double verification process will be taken to contact the current owners of stolen or towed vehicles.”

Addison has filed a formal complaint in the hopes of getting the $650 from the sale but still hasn’t received a response. Municipal impound lots have a limited amount of space and usually auction off vehicles to make space after a set period of time. Owners are also charged for storage once they’re informed that their car or truck is in the lot.

Once the lots get full, unbelievable things tend to happen. Police in Columbus, Ohio started leaving abandoned cars on the streets earlier this year to ration space within their lots. Many lots across the country, including St. Louis, were filled with recovered Kia and Hyundai vehicles.