From South Carolina

ANDERSON — An employee of Anderson’s Rent-A-Center told Anderson City Police officers that his attempt to repossess furniture left him looking down the barrel of a pistol.

The incident was reported at 11 a.m. Thursday on Sears Street.

John Engberg, 23, told police that he had given a woman until 3 p.m. to pay. She offered to pay by 5 p.m.

Words were exchanged and then the woman pulled a gun, “cocked it and put it in his face,” according to Mr. Engberg’s version of the incident, the officer’s report states.

The woman denied pulling a gun.

An arrest is pending an investigation.

Toledo Update

Two men shot one another yesterday in the 100 block of Spencer Street in South Toledo during an altercation over a tow truck, police said.

Eliseo Selvera III, who lives on Spencer, was taken to Toledo Hospital. Ronald Nigh of Parrakeet Avenue was taken to University of Toledo Medical Center, formerly Medical College of Ohio Hospital. Nursing supervisors at both hospitals said they had no information about patients by those names.

Two men went to Mr. Selvera’s house about 1:30 a.m. and asked him to tow a car for them. He refused and told them to leave. He and Mr. Nigh were wounded during an exchange of gunfire, police said.

From Ohio

TOLEDO -- Toledo police are investigating an attempted home invasion that ended with two people shot.

This all happened around 1:45 a.m Friday in the 100 block of Spencer near Western Ave. in south Toledo. Police tell us two men came to the back door of the house and allegedly told the man living inside -- who works as a "repo-man" -- that they wanted to talk about a tow.

The man told police they then tried to force their way inside. The homeowner was shot once in the arm. He said he fired back on the suspects, hitting one four times.

The suspects took off, and a short time later, the injured suspect was dropped off at University of Toledo Medical Center. His condition is not being released.

From DC

An employee of the Delaware River & Bay Authority Police Department in Lewes faces charges following a Georgetown incident.

Ismael Torres Jr., 32, of Georgetown, was arrested by state troopers Friday. Torres was formerly a corporal at the Milton Police Department, where he received several awards for service in the line of duty.

State troopers and investigators with the state Attorney General's Office were assigned the case Nov. 7 after three employees of the Complete Auto Recovery Company in Millsboro filed a complaint against Torres. The employees alleged Torres identified himself as a police officer and threatened to shoot them as they attempted to repossess a 2002 Ford Explorer parked on private property in Georgetown. Detectives said they were told that Torres allegedly made the threats toward the members of the recovery service while demanding that they vacate the property.

Police said the Ford Explorer was in the process of being affixed to a wrecker for repossession. Torres allegedly entered the Ford and drove it away from the recovery equipment, causing one of the straps to hit a member of the recovery service, police said.

Torres was charged with misdemeanor offenses including one count of offensive touching, three counts of terroristic threatening and one count of second-degree reckless endangerment; he was processed and arraigned at Troop 4 and released on $2,050 unsecured bond.

From Washington

Because he was working quickly, the repo driver did not notice the 5- and 7-year-old children when he arrived at a grocery store parking lot Thursday morning to take the 1996 Ford Explorer, police Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said.

The father had left the children in the vehicle when he ran into the store for doughnuts. He called police when he saw the car and kids missing; the repo man also called police after arriving at the repo lot and discovering the passengers.

It's not illegal to leave children unattended in a car as long as it's not running, is not outside a bar, and the weather doesn't pose a danger, DeRuwe said.

Police said the children were returned unharmed to their father.

"They were fine, saying 'Hey Dad,' when he came to get them," she said

From California

Palm Springs police arrested a repossession agent and a man who sprayed him with a garden house as a vehicle was being recovered, a sergeant said.

The tiff in the 2300 block of Finley Road occurred about 7 Tuesday night, Palm Springs police Sgt. Mitch Spike said. He said 34-year-old Lincoln Walker of Palm Desert went to retrieve a vehicle from someone who was behind on payments.

During the repossession, the owner's roommate, 45-year-old Mark Todd, got Walker's permission to remove personal items from the car, Spike said. But tension rose when Walker asked Todd for the keys, and Todd denied having a set.

Todd "demanded that Walker take the vehicle and leave the property," Spike said. "When Walker refused to leave, Todd allegedly turned on a garden hose and sprayed Walker."

Walker whipped out a collapsible baton and brandished it at Walker, according to Spike.

When police arrived, both were arrested -- Todd on suspicion of misdemeanor battery, and Walker on suspicion of possessing of an unlawful weapon, a felony, and brandishing a weapon, Spike said.

The pair were booked at the Palm Spring Jail and released, he said.

From South Carolina

Two men are arrested for impersonating a police officer. The victim says they ran him off the road to repossess his truck.

Run off the road and roughed up. A man says he was attacked by a repo man and a used car salesman pretending to be law enforcement officers. The men were arrested on Friday on Asheville Highway in Inman. Deputies say they went too far in trying to re-possess a truck.

The victim says he was headed up Asheville Highway on Friday afternoon with other cars all over the road when all of a sudden a tow truck bumped him from behind, and forced him off the road and in a parking lot. He says the man he had bought the truck from and the repo man proceeded to push him around. But he says this actually all started in his driveway.

Kevin Parker says he was sitting in his truck in his own driveway when all of a sudden he was rammed from behind. He says he looked up to see a tow truck hooked up to his vehicle. He says he was afraid so he put the truck in four-wheel drive and took off. He says the men followed him up Asheville Highway, forced him off the road and then started shoving him around. He says the repo man claimed to be a law enforcement officer and then a witness who saw what was going on called 911.

Deputies say the two men are Tony Cooper who works for a repo company and Justin Harness who is the manager of Credit Cars in Taylors, where Parker bought his truck. They were arrested and charged with impersonating an officer, reckless driving and assault and battery.

Tony Cooper works for a company called Professional Auto Recovery out of Greenville. The name may sound familiar to you because we did a story on them back in April after one of their tow trucks tried to tow away a vehicle with a woman still inside.


The Better Business Bureau says 11 people have filed complaints about the towing company, some alleging damage to vehicles or property, others believe they should not have been towed. Cooper adamantly tells us the complaints are "not correct".

Mexia, TX Sheriff's Blotter

Man flags down woman on Hwy-179, says she has tire troubles, then snatched her keys and left with the vehicle......Turned out to be Friendly Joe of Auto Repo.......Repossessed the car for non-payment, left the Lady and her kids on the side of the road.....Her husband now en route to pick them up

From Texas

Amarillo - A man loaded a 2000 Jeep Cherokee onto a wrecker and drove away with it while the daughter of the Jeep's owner watched Wednesday night.

At about 7:45 p.m., the woman approached the man and asked what he was doing. The man told her he was "from the bank" and was taking the Jeep from the residence in the 1000 block of South Pryor Street, the Amarillo Police Department reported.

The woman asked to retrieve some personal items from the Jeep, and the man struck the woman, giving her a non-serious injury on the arm as she tried to enter the vehicle, police reported. The man then towed away the vehicle with a dark green Dodge 1-ton dual-wheel pickup, the APD said.

Police said they have been unable to locate a lending institution that has ordered repossession of the Jeep.

Anyone wishing to repossess a vehicle must immediately notify the APD, police said.

From Indiana

A Porterville man was arrested this morning on suspicion of brandishing a firearm and threatening to shoot the man who was repossessing his car.

The firearm turned out to be a “realistic looking” pellet gun, according to a Tulare County Sheriff’s Department release.

Marvin Miller, 45, was booked on suspicion of brandishing a weapon and making threats. The victim, Brian Williamson, said he was threatened just after midnight in the 1900 block of North Maston Street in Porterville.

From Nebraska

LINCOLN - A man was arrested after police say he attacked three people trying to repossess his car. The man, 59, was working at Shoemaker's Thursday evening when he was told his car was being repossessed.

Police said the man ran outside and got into the car. Two Priority Auto employees, a 22-year-old woman and 31-year-old man, jumped on the hood of the car to keep him from leaving. The suspect drove around the lot, then stopped and got out.

Police said the woman got in the driver's seat and the suspect allegedly grabbed her and threatened the other man with a screwdriver.

He also allegedly punched an 18-year-old employee.

Lot Owner Fires Shot. - North Carolina

A dealership owner was responsible for the lone gunshot fired during Thursday's repossession turned arrest, according to reports from the Pitt County Sheriff's Office.

A sheriff's office spokesman confirmed Tim Stox, owner of East Carolina Auto Exchange, fired a single shot at a sports utility vehicle a man was trying to keep from being repossessed.

Stox fired "in fear his property would be damaged," and probably won't face charges because the .22-caliber handgun wasn't aimed at a person, Chief Lee Moore with the sheriff's office said on Friday.

Thomas Ortiz Rogers Jr. arrived at East Carolina Auto Exchange, 3825 Charles Blvd., intending to trade his GMC Denali, which was due to be repossessed by financiers. The dealership contacted the company that financed the vehicle, which sent a repossession team to the car lot.

Learning his car was about to be seized, Rogers jumped into the driver's seat and attempted to escape, hitting two other vehicles in the process. That is when Stox fired his weapon, Moore said.

The incident report was unclear about whether the bullet struck its intended target. No one was hurt.

Deputies arrested Rogers, 36, of 2414 Ann Lane on outstanding warrants including multiple counts of worthless checks, failure to appear and probation violations. No charges have been filed in connection with the incident at the dealership.

His wife, Anna Bunn Rogers, 30, of 295 Fairmont Ave. was arrested at the scene and charged with carrying a concealed weapon.

Agents Used For Target Practice, Again. - Florida

Two repo agents are shaken, but physically ok after they say they were shot-at on the job. It's a rare but very real danger in a business that's become increasingly busy.

Agents from Richardson Detective Agency go out to repossess vehicles daily, but rarely have to dodge bullets, as two agents say they did on Monday night.

"Telling him, please don't shoot, please don't shoot. I'm a repo man here to check out the truck," Scott Van Dress described the situation. "I can honestly say, the shot was not a warning shot."

Van Dress says he and his partner were trying to repossess a pick-up at a home in Alva at about 11pm Monday night, when a man came out of the house with a rifle and started shooting.

"It would appear to be that we're common thieves, but our job is to fully ID ourselves and make a debtor aware we're here to pick up a vehicle," Van Dress said.

He told deputies he identified himself, but the man still fired at him, leaving the repo agents little choice but to get out of the way, and off the property.

"I'm not allowed to carry a firearm as a repo agent," Van Dress explained. "If I did, that would be a breach of peace."

"All we have is a flashlight and our hand," said RDA office manager Sharlee Walker. "So if somebody is shooting at you-- my life is not worth the repo. See you later, buh-bye, I'm gone."

Van Dress' managers says tough times in other industries have made it busy in the repo business. They're taking in about 70 to 80 cars a week right now, almost as twice as many as usual this time of year.

"I feel sorry for the people we have to go to take their vehicles, because they're families, they have kids."

Walker says while hard times for others are good for their business, it also keeps their agents busy and at risk.

"The laws are working against us," Van Dress said. "Some things have to change to make our jobs safer."

The Lee County Sheriff's Office says there are no charges yet against the man who fired at the two repo agents. The truck owner's wife told deputies he didn't hear the men say they were repo agents. But Scott Van Dress says he plans to press charges either way.

Michael Vick Gets A Taste - Indiana

An Indiana bank sued suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for not repaying loans involving a car rental business.

1st Source Bank of South Bend said in a federal lawsuit it suffered damages of at least $2 million because Vick and Divine Seven LLC of Atlanta had refused to pay for the vehicles. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

Last week, the Royal Bank of Canada sued Vick in federal court in Virginia for more than $2.3 million that it said he had planned to use for real estate investments.

Vick pleaded guilty to a dogfighting conspiracy charge in federal court last month and was indicted Tuesday on state charges in Virginia related to the dogfighting ring. He faces up to five years in prison on the federal charge when he is sentenced Dec. 10. He also has been indefinitely suspended by the NFL.

A message was left Friday at the law firm representing Vick in his criminal cases.

Vick signed loan agreements as the chief financial officer of Divine Seven, which bought at least 130 vehicles, including many Kia Spectra and Ford Taurus cars, through 1st Source Bank loans, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in South Bend on Wednesday.

A phone call Friday to a number listed on loan documents for Divine Seven was answered by a clerk at a Payless Car Rental office in Atlanta. The Associated Press left a message there for Art Washington, who signed some of the loan documents as Divine Seven's CEO.

According to the lawsuit, 1st Source Bank made a written demand for payment Aug. 24, but Vick and Divine Seven have "failed and refused to pay."

The bank has been able to repossess most of the cars, which will limit Vick's financial liability in the lawsuit, said John Griffith, the corporate counsel for 1st Source Bank.

The lawsuit said Vick and the company agreed to their first loans with the bank in January, about three months before authorities began investigating his involvement in a Virginia dogfighting operation.

The Stuff We Find In Cars! - Florida

An Orlando repo man helped Lake County detectives solve a theft at a construction site. It happened at a new development off Hartwood Marsh Road.

When the trunk of the repossessed car was opened, thousands of dollars in stolen goods were found and now investigators say the owner of the car has a lot of explaining to do.

"Once we opened that trunk, that's when we struck gold," said repo man Tony Volta.

Not gold, but brass actually, a trunk stuffed with stolen goods and apparently the tools needed to commit the burglary.

"There was actually a whole bunch of fitting valves, plastic piping, there was a cordless drill, saw and bolt cutters," said Sgt. John Herrell, Lake County Sheriff's Office.

The equipment was taken from the Sandy Lake County construction site. The brass filled valves are lucrative at recycle shops and can bring in quick cash for criminals, just like copper.

"Anything that can be recycled is a hot commodity at this point. It's considered a target. I'm not surprised," Herrell said.

Maybe the only one surprised was Volta. Working on a tip, the repo man found the car up to its tires deep in sand. The car's owner is the only one missing now.

Lake County detectives said Jeffery Van Vorst is a person of interest in the theft. He's the owner of the car and, while he has not been arrested for the, Van Vorst has an extensive criminal history involving drugs, grand theft and trafficking stolen property. Volta calls the crime almost perfect.

"The car was loaded, they were ready to go, but the car at some point got struck in the sand dune and that was it," Volta said.

Representatives from the construction company would not talk on camera but said they do have problems with thefts in Orlando. Detectives said they did make contact with Van Vorst and he claims he let his girlfriend drive the car. She maintains she was out of town when the burglary occurred.