Highland Park Police returned a resident’s 1985 Ford Thunderbird on Thursday after he accused the city of stealing his beloved car.
Bob Nelson says he’s grateful but still angry.
“There is still too much shit that doesn’t add up with this car,” Nelson tells Metro Times.
The city also waived hundreds of dollars in tow fees, which Nelson was unable to afford.
On March 28, police stuck an orange tag on his Thunderbird, saying the car “may be impounded if it is not removed within 48 hours” because it lacked a license plate.
But less than 48 hours later, while Nelson was planning on moving the car off the road outside his house on Geneva Street, a tow truck removed the Thunderbird, which belonged to his mom before she died on Thanksgiving. He recently towed the car from Ottawa County, where his mom had lived.
Nelson says police didn’t bother to knock on his door or even try to determine who owned the car. Before towing a car, he insists police are required to run his vehicle identity number (VIN) on the Law Enforcement Information Network (LIEN) and claims that never happened or police would have seen he owned the car.
“If they called the fucking VIN number in, they would have known it was my car,” Nelson says.
Earlier this week, Troy’s Towing refused to release the car unless Nelson paid $245 for the tow, $15 for each day it was in storage, and $150 to tow the car back to his home.
Nelson says he went broke towing the car from Ottawa County.
Without the money to retrieve his car, Nelson was so upset he sought mental health counseling.
“I was so pissed off that I wanted to do something crazy,” Nelson recalls. “How about give a motherfucker some due process? A city ordinance doesn’t supersede the Constitution.”
Eventually, Nelson talked with police Chief James McMahon, who said the city wanted to help him retrieve his car. But first he needed the title, which Nelson knew was in one of dozens of boxes that he had hauled from his mom’s house.
After he prayed, Nelson says he found the title in one of the boxes.
At about 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, a flatbed tow truck, escorted by a police car with flashing lights, returned the car to the backyard of one of Nelson’s neighbors.
“I’m grateful the police chief helped me,” Nelson says. “He could have tried to cover this up. But there are still too many unanswered questions.”
Nelson says he suspects the car would still be in the tow yard if he didn’t speak up.
“This car would still be sitting there if I didn’t raise hell,” he says.
Nelson has reached out to an attorney and is considering suing the city.
Steve Neavling
Bob Nelson cleans up his block every spring, even though it’s dominated by blight and abandonment.
“I read the Constitution,” Nelson says. “I know about the law. I want the city of Highland Park to compensate me for lost wages and the mental damage.”
Meanwhile, like he does every spring, Nelson is cleaning up his block, which is dominated by blighted, abandoned homes. Across the street is a hulking, vacant school building that he says is owned by the Highland Park City Council president.
“Why don’t they bother cleaning up this mess instead of taking my car? It makes no sense,” he says. “This is a fucked up street.”
Metro Times couldn’t reach Highland Park officials for comment. Mayor Glenda McDonald referred questions to McMahon, who couldn’t be reached.
Steve Neavling
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