LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Letters to LETTERS |
To whom it may concern:
I am writing to relate to you a disturbing experience a friend and I were involved in over this past weekend in Rehoboth Beach. The experience had two disturbing aspects to it; the first took place on Saturday evening, May 30. We arrived at a local night club approximately 11:30 to find the clubs parking lot full. We were instructed by the owner of the bar to park in an adjacent parking lot which he had been given permission to use. We went inside and 30-40 minutes later we were approached by the clubs parking attendant and informed that the vehicle parked next to ours had been towed. We rushed out to rescue our vehicle, but it was already too late. Our vehicle was up on the tow truck, being backed into another adjacent lot owned by the Coastal Towing Company. The driver of the truck said we had parked on his property and would have to pay $110 cash, but as I approached the driver to try and arrange payment, the driver threatened to "club" me if I didnt get away from his truck and "off his property." The nightclub owner tried to help us, but the driver disappeared. We decided to leave and deal with the problem legally the next day. The next morning, Sunday May 31, just before 12:00 noon, the second disturbing incident occurred when we got a ride to the Delaware State Police station on route 1 just northwest of Rehoboth. When we related the details of the incident to the visibly tired desk attendant she told us that there was nothing the police could do about my vehicle being towed. When we explained that I had been threatened with bodily harm when I tried to bail my vehicle out the night before and that we were afraid to go back to get the vehicle by ourselves, we were again told there was nothing they could do. "And besides," the desk attendant defended the tow truck driver, "you have to understand that those people get threatened themselves all the time," suggesting the driver was justified in threatening me. We felt our situation warranted a little more attention than it was given. When I was a young child I was taught that the police were supposed to be my friends and help me when I was in need. Unfortunately, it did not seem important to the Delaware State Police to try and foster that image. Later when we went to the Rehoboth municipal police for help and explained what happened, they found the behavior of the state police inappropriate, especially in light of the physical threat. They were very helpful; unfortunately, the incident took place just outside their jurisdiction and there was nothing they could do to help us. What I would like to know is, what kind of place is Delaware that one of its residents is allowed to take possession of visitors vehicles, literally from beneath their noses, lock up their vehicles and refuse to release them until the following day, and threaten them with bodily harm, all with total impunity, and then be rewarded with a $110 towing charge? Furthermore, my $110 towing bill (for a 50 foot tow!) included a charge for storage, which I made my best effort to avoid, but it seemed to be the towing drivers preference to lock up my vehicle so he could collect that charge as well. We try our best to obey all the parking rules when in Rehobothwe purchase weekend parking permits and feed the parking meters. We would have gladly moved the vehicle had we been alerted it was bothering someone. Why is this towing company allowed to continue to operate in this manner? I would really be interested in hearing a response from your office. Thank you for your time. Very truly yours, Randy P. Prevost |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 7, June 19, 1998. |