eyebthesweetie
Junior Member
What is the name of your state?California
My car was impounded in Hollywood, CA while vacationing. A man who posed as a mechanic was driving it at the time. I was not notified by mail about the impound, nor was I advised of my right to an impound hearing, in which I only had 10 days to request. I WAS notified by the driver from Jail upon his arrest that my car had been seized, and I immediately attempted to contact the Auto Detective, who, I was told, was the ONLY person who could assist me. Since this was over Labor day weekend, I had to stay in L.A. until Monday or Tuesday to speak to the Detective.(My car was seized the previous Thursday). Upon speaking to him, I was never informed of my rights to a hearing, and was told that my car was to remain in impound 30 days and there was NOTHING I could do about it! I asked to speak to someone else and was told that there was noone else I could speak to and "You can come down here and talk all day...you're not getting your car back for 30 days!", verbatim. I was told that this was because the driver of my car was being charged with posession of a weapon. Upon speaking to the facility where my car was held and asking how to go about requesting a hearing, I was told that when I came in to get my car after 30 days, I would be given a form to fill out and request a hearing. This turned out to be ludicrous as I later found out that I had only 10 days in which to request a hearing! I ended up having to travel to L.A. after 30 days from my home in Eureka, CA. and paying $1,900.00 to get my car back!
Everything I've read in the CVC handbook, tells me that I should have been able to get my car back right away with no charge since my car was being used for purposes other than what I requested by the person I hired to fix my car. When I asked to press charges against this person, I was told by the Auto Detective that I couldn't because I had given that person the keys, therefore they had permission to drive my car wherever they pleased! I asked the Auto Detective to speak to the D.A. about my situation and he refused, saying that it would do no good! When I asked why I had not been properly notified by mail about my rights to a hearing and the impound of my car, I found out that the notice had supposedly been mailed to the original owner of the car, who has not owned it or been on the paperwork since 1995.
My car is registered to me and my husband in Oregon, and has our current address and information listed. It has Oregon plates. However, the Hollywood Department got their information from the California DMV only. And when I called the California DMV to find out why and how the wrong information could have been given to the P.D., I was told that it was quite obvious that the original owner had nothing to do with my vehicle for several years and could not explain where the P.D. had come up with the incorrect information. The Oregon DMV confirmed that they had not been contacted at all by anyone from any Police Department about my car.
I have been wronged, and information and my rights have been withheld from me causing extensive financial hardship on my family. Not to mention the cost of traveling to and from L.A., cost of motels, and even my Son missing the first week of school while we struggled to get the money together to get home after my car was first impounded. What do I do from here?
My car was impounded in Hollywood, CA while vacationing. A man who posed as a mechanic was driving it at the time. I was not notified by mail about the impound, nor was I advised of my right to an impound hearing, in which I only had 10 days to request. I WAS notified by the driver from Jail upon his arrest that my car had been seized, and I immediately attempted to contact the Auto Detective, who, I was told, was the ONLY person who could assist me. Since this was over Labor day weekend, I had to stay in L.A. until Monday or Tuesday to speak to the Detective.(My car was seized the previous Thursday). Upon speaking to him, I was never informed of my rights to a hearing, and was told that my car was to remain in impound 30 days and there was NOTHING I could do about it! I asked to speak to someone else and was told that there was noone else I could speak to and "You can come down here and talk all day...you're not getting your car back for 30 days!", verbatim. I was told that this was because the driver of my car was being charged with posession of a weapon. Upon speaking to the facility where my car was held and asking how to go about requesting a hearing, I was told that when I came in to get my car after 30 days, I would be given a form to fill out and request a hearing. This turned out to be ludicrous as I later found out that I had only 10 days in which to request a hearing! I ended up having to travel to L.A. after 30 days from my home in Eureka, CA. and paying $1,900.00 to get my car back!
Everything I've read in the CVC handbook, tells me that I should have been able to get my car back right away with no charge since my car was being used for purposes other than what I requested by the person I hired to fix my car. When I asked to press charges against this person, I was told by the Auto Detective that I couldn't because I had given that person the keys, therefore they had permission to drive my car wherever they pleased! I asked the Auto Detective to speak to the D.A. about my situation and he refused, saying that it would do no good! When I asked why I had not been properly notified by mail about my rights to a hearing and the impound of my car, I found out that the notice had supposedly been mailed to the original owner of the car, who has not owned it or been on the paperwork since 1995.
My car is registered to me and my husband in Oregon, and has our current address and information listed. It has Oregon plates. However, the Hollywood Department got their information from the California DMV only. And when I called the California DMV to find out why and how the wrong information could have been given to the P.D., I was told that it was quite obvious that the original owner had nothing to do with my vehicle for several years and could not explain where the P.D. had come up with the incorrect information. The Oregon DMV confirmed that they had not been contacted at all by anyone from any Police Department about my car.
I have been wronged, and information and my rights have been withheld from me causing extensive financial hardship on my family. Not to mention the cost of traveling to and from L.A., cost of motels, and even my Son missing the first week of school while we struggled to get the money together to get home after my car was first impounded. What do I do from here?