Responding to complaints about predatory towing in downtown Asheville, Asheville police parked a decoy car as bait Saturday night on Lexington Avenue, then reeled in their catch.
Police charged two men, 25-year-old Trevor Kyle Ballinger (pictured on left), and 32-year-old Leonard Tobias Best, of All-Safe Towing & Recovery, with obtaining property by false pretense after police say they illegally towed a vehicle from the parking lot at 93 N. Lexington Ave.
Officers parked a vehicle in the lot about 10:30 p.m. Saturday and put $3 into a parking lot collection box. The lot works on an honor system, so parkers don’t get a receipt after paying. Police watched the car, and saw the All-Safe employees tow it away at 11:51 p.m. Police stopped the tow truck on Hill Street and made the arrests.
Click here to see the arrest report.
