Perhaps the only thing more annoying than having your car towed is having your car towed by a fake tow truck driver, a woman in Boston recently discovered.
“The only way we can make progress on these types of crimes is for victims to come forward rather than simply giving in to the scam perpetrated against them,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement . That’s exactly what this victim did. and she deserves much credit for her quick and correct decision.”
The unidentified woman called Boston police around 10 p.m. Saturday to say her car had been towed for no apparent reason and that the owner of the towing company, “Up N Down Towing,” was trying to extort her for $300 in cash, according to to Hayden’s office.
That tower, Tyrone Rutledge, 33, of Roxbury, now faces charges including extortion, witness intimidation and several motor vehicle violations. Judge Maureen Flaherty set bail at $100 and ordered Rutledge to return to court on December 11 for a pre-trial hearing.
According to the district attorney’s office, Rutledge has a history of motor vehicle crimes, including Monday’s guilty plea to operating without a license. Officers at the scene recognized him from an earlier police bulletin for towing vehicles without a driver’s license, according to prosecutors.
The alleged victim told police that when she called his company, he told her she had been towed because she was not properly registered and insured – which the city’s transportation department said was not true. Even if he made a mistake, he allegedly told her, she would have to pay more than $300 to get her car back.