Call Kurtis Investigates: How Victims of Stolen Cars Are Victimized Twice

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - Victims of stolen cars get victimized a second time when their car is recovered then towed, leaving them with a tow bill they can't afford.

Jarred Weston is seeing his Nissan truck for the first time since it was stolen and he's not happy. "It sucks."

"It sucks," Weston said.

Weston says the bad guys ripped out his stereo and destroyed the inside of his car.

"Looks like a fire extinguisher went off all up in here," said Weston.

Within 13 hours of reporting his truck missing, the California Highway Patrol found it and had it towed. But for Weston to get it back, the tow yard wanted $345 in tow and storage fees—money he didn't have.

But for Weston to get it back, the tow yard wanted $345 in tow and storage fees—money he didn't have. And those fees would grow $50 each day until he could come up with the cash or sign over his only vehicle to the tow yard.

"I think it's pretty shady. I think it's dirty you're trying to take someone else's livelihood for measly a few dollars," said Weston.

Stolen car victims feeling victimized twice, is a story we've told before.

Living paycheck to paycheck, Kassie Moore of Tracy struggled to cover her tow bill to get her stolen car back.

When Moore realized her car was gone and she would have to pay to get it back, "I just started bawling right then," she said.

And single mom Jolaine Huss of Sacramento had her bill grew to $820 in fees.

"Just light the thing on the fire cause I can't pay $820," she said.

We asked the California Tow Truck Association's President Terry Warford, why doesn't the industry give these victims a break?

But Warford says, "We're a very struggling industry."

He says people are gambling if they only take out the bare bones liability insurance because comprehensive coverage pays tow bills if your car is stolen but only after you pay the deductible.

We wanted to know from Warford why does the tow industry need $40 to $60 in storage fees each day?

He says they're just trying to stay afloat.

"A big part of it, is the amount of cars that's not being picked up," said Warford.

He estimates that half the cars they pick up never get claimed. Even when tow companies sell these vehicles he says they often don't recoup their costs.

But Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) thinks something should be done for these victims. "Charging it from the minute somebody's car lands in that storage yard that's unfair," he said.

"Charging it from the minute somebody's car lands in that storage yard that's unfair," he said.

In February, Assemblyman Gatto took action and squeezed a provision into his Parking Bill of Rights that would ban tow yards from charging stolen car victims anything.

But as you can imagine, the tow industry didn't like that.

Though Warford fights back saying, "It shouldn't be put on the shoulders of small business in California."

Knowing that Assemblyman Gatto wanted to tackle this problem, we checked back in with him, to find that he pulled the tow provision out of his bill.

"It comes as no shock to people, there are special interests in this building, and they fought this bill tooth and nail," said Gatto.

He says his colleagues at the capitol didn't support the idea and instead of losing his entire Parking Bill of Rights, he stripped out the tow fee part, hoping the issue is tackled later on its own.

But Gatto still wants to send a message: "The question is whether my colleagues will recognize the unjustness of this issue."

But for Weston almost losing his truck when his's bill climbed to $495 before his dad stepped in. Now he just needs to find more money for repairs, but he says at least he still has a way to get around.

"That's my livelihood," said Weston.

The tow industry thinks a better solution to this problem is to force all of us to pay more to the Department of Motor Vehicles when we register our cars, so victims can tap into that fund to pay tow bills when cars are stolen.

The City of San Francisco addressed this problem by giving people a grace period of 48 hours before storage fees start accruing.

Gatto was hoping the tow industry would come to a compromise with that idea but, there're no signs of that. His Parking Bill of Rights was vetoed by the governor.

What can people do if they find themselves in this position so they don't end up losing their car?

- Get a club or an alarm.
- If you move, make sure you tell the DMV.
- The tow yards use the DMV database to find you and if your info isn't up to datem it may take a few days longer to find you - ultimately jacking up that bill.