A truck pulled from an impound lot auction by police did not go through seizure proceedings, according to police records, further adding to the mystery of what happened to the truck after it was set aside from the city’s twice weekly vehicle auction.
The 2007 GMC Acadia which was towed onto the lot in March but pulled from a city auction list in April. The truck is not currently in the police department’s vehicle seizure division inventory, sources said.
Inspector General Hilton Green has been probing the disappearance of the 2007 GM Acadia that was towed into the city’s Pulaksi Highway impound but never auctioned off as required by law as part of an ongoing investigation into improprieties at the city run lot.
Department of Transportation officials confirmed Thursday that the whereabouts of the GMC 20087 Acadia was a police matter.
City law requires all vehicles to be sold at auction 45 days after the owner of the vehicle is given a grace period to pay towing fees, unpaid parking tickets, or storage charges.
Baltimore police spokesman Sterling Clifford declined to comment, citing Green’s ongoing investigation. Green also declined to comment.
Meanwhile department of transportation officials confirmed today that that a Baltimore city police officer detailed to the impound lot was suspended last week. However officials would not reveal the officer’s name or the reasons for the suspension.
City law requires cars towed into the impound lot to be sold after an owner is given adequate time, usually 45 days, to claim the car and pay towing fees, storage charges, or unpaid parking tickets. The money remaining after the fees are paid goes to the owner.
Police can seize a vehicle before it is auctioned as part of a criminal forfeiture case provided a judge approves it, but Madero said the car disappeared too quickly.
Green has been probing the purchase of boat by DOT Deputy Director Anthony Wallnofer Jr. from Frankford Towing, a company that was lobbying the city for increased towing fees. The boat was sold at auction to Frankford towing and later purchased by Wallnofer.
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