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Woman stuck with impound fees after stolen car recovered

She can't get her stolen car back.

SOUTH FULTON, Ga. -- Antwanetta Jones feels she being victimized twice.

First, a thief stole her car and crashed it.

Now, she’s stuck with a nearly $1,300 bill at the impound car.

It all started when her sedan was stolen from a convenience store on April 20. Jones called her insurance company and filed a police report. Although the car was recovered less than five hours after it was stolen, Jones says she wasn't contacted until three days later.

Jones said the car was “trashed, totaled -- it look like someone ran smack into a wall and I'm sure whoever was in the car, they had to be injured because of the condition of the car."

By then, she says the impound storage fees were around $250 and she was working to get the money. But she said the daily fees kept adding up and now the bill is nearly $1,300 for a car she says she can't even drive. She only had partial insurance coverage on the 2000 Toyota Corolla so the insurance company could not be of financial assistance.

"It’s awful and I feel victimized twice because I feel like my car was taken from me, it’s been impounded,” Jone said. “I'm responsible for paying for something that someone did to me and I don't feel like anyone cares.”

The woes are stopping her from getting another vehicle -- one that she could actually drive.

"I can't get my tag off of this car until I pay the fees to get it out of the impound,” Jones said.

The owner of the impound yard told 11Alive that, under Georgia law, Jones is responsible to pay all of the fees because it’s her property.

To make matters worse, if Jones doesn’t come up with the money soon, a lien could be placed against her, which could affect her driver’s license, credit score and result in a $500 fine.

The impound yard owner said sending the car off for scrap metal would cost him money and, by law, he’s not obligated to do that.

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