BAKERSFIELD, CA - A Bakersfield woman is suing a local towing company for selling her a stolen car.
Janice Beals says the towing company won't give her a refund because, according to the company, they didn't know it was stolen.
Beals bought the car last year from Bakersfield Club Towing and paid $1,000.
Beals says what she thought would be a good purchase, turned out to be a financial nightmare.
"This man is a business owner here in Bakersfield and he sold me a stolen vehicle and nothing has been done," said Janice Beals.
Last May, Beals went to Bakersfield Club Towing off Rosedale Highway and purchased a 1993 Honda Prelude, or so she thought.
"I did check the plate on the dash there to see if it matched the numbers on the paperwork and it did, so I didn't look any further," she said.
After numerous problems, Beals found out the car she bought wasn't a '93 Prelude, it was a 1990 Acura Integra.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the car was stolen and its VIN number had been changed, but officers didn't know that when they first had it towed.
"An officer can get into a routine where he or she just checks the VIN number, checks the plate, checks the other numbers that are on the car and says -- hey, if everything matches, there's no further investigation needed for that particular car. The tow truck comes and takes it and off it goes to the impound yard," said Robert Rodriguez, California Highway Patrol.
Rodriguez says that's exactly what happened in this case.
"If I had got pulled over in that car, I'd be in jail right now for grand theft auto. It's that simple," Beals said.
Beals says after confronting the owner of the towing company, he wouldn't give her a refund.
"I said I'd like to get my money back and you can have your car back. You can give me back my money, and he looked me dead in the face and told me, sorry about your luck," said Beals.
17 News went to Bakersfield Club Towing last week, but we were told the owner was out of state.
However, one employee familiar with the case said the company didn't know the car was stolen and used information given to them by the CHP.
"To an officer that doesn't have the training, specialized training as far as auto theft goes or VIN switches, it can be very difficult and it can be very deceiving," said Rodriguez.
Beals says the court has set a hearing date for April.
According to the towing company, after 75 days, any car that's not picked up becomes the company's property.
The CHP says if you're concerned about your vehicle, they offer free VIN inspections at their office on Buck Owens Boulevard.
