Charges wrong, owner claims

Towing company owner says he's unfairly targeted by the police

Date published: 12/10/2008

BY KEITH EPPS

The owner of a company that towed away a vehicle with a small child inside it Sunday is furious that his employees were charged and the child's mother was not.

Jason Kelly, the owner of Patriot Towing, said the felony charges facing Jason Bryant, 25, and Derek Miller, 21, "make absolutely no sense.

"The only one who should have been charged is the mother," Kelly said. "Why would anyone leave a child in a car that is running?"

According to the Stafford Sheriff's Office, a Mazda Protege was double-parked Sunday afternoon about 12:45 p.m. when it was spotted by the towing company employees in the 1200 block of Thomas Jefferson Place in southern Stafford.

Kelly said his company has a contract to enforce parking regulations in that area and his employees were simply doing their job.

Kelly said it took about 45 seconds to hook up the illegally parked vehicle and drive it away. It was taken to to the Patriot lot, which Kelly said is only about two miles away. Police estimated the distance at six miles.

It wasn't until they were back at the lot that anyone realized there was a 2-year-old girl inside, Kelly said. They immediately called police to report what had happened.

Meanwhile, the child's mother had already called 911 to report her missing child and car. Sheriff's spokesman Bill Kennedy said the woman told police she'd only been gone about five minutes.

The woman went to the Patriot lot and got her daughter and her car.

Police charged Bryant and Miller with felony child endangerment. The mother has not been charged.

Bryant and Miller are scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 19 in Stafford Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Both are free on bond.

Kelly isn't the only one miffed that the mother was not charged. Dozens of people either called or e-mailed police and the media yesterday to question the decision not to charge the mother.

Kennedy yesterday would only say that the case is still under investigation. He said he doesn't know if the woman will be charged.

Kelly said he realizes there are those who don't like his company, including the Sheriff's Office. He said Patriot has towed several cars belonging to Stafford deputies.

Asked if he thought payback was a factor in the arrests, Kelly replied, "ain't no doubt."

But in this case, Kelly said his company may have done police and the mother a favor.

"She's lucky we took the car and not somebody else. We might have saved them from another Amber Alert," Kelly said.

Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com

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Date published: 12/10/2008

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