Whitney Shucks was saving for another vehicle inspection when University City, Missouri, had her Dodge Journey towed from her carport, she says in a federal lawsuit. By her next paycheck, the bill to get it back had passed $2,000.
ArchCity Defenders filed the proposed class action on Oct. 22 on behalf of Shucks and three other current or former residents. They are suing the city and five officers over vehicle seizures from private property.
The plaintiffs accuse University City of ordering more than 150 such tows over three years. They contend that officers entered private residential areas without warrants or consent, targeting cars mainly for expired plates or registration problems even when the vehicles posed no immediate safety hazard.
Their challenge also concerns the chance to contest a tow before the fees start building. Residents say notices failed to identify specific ordinance violations and that attempts to secure a hearing sent them back to the police department to order removal.
Under the Carport
For Shucks, the 2009 Journey carried her children and got her to teaching and painting jobs. Her account describes an inspection problem involving possible overheating on long drives; she studied repair videos on YouTube and worked on the vehicle, but could not afford another inspection.
On Oct. 4, 2024, Shucks says she returned home to find two officers at her house before a tow truck arrived. She explained her repair efforts and asked whether she could prevent the tow, but Officer Jennifer McClain said nothing could stop it that day. The officers ordered Hartmann’s Towing Company to remove the vehicle.
Unable to pay the release fees, Shucks never recovered the Journey. Artwork and work boots remained inside, and she says Hartmann’s required payment before she could collect her belongings. She had hoped to give the car to her son when he turned 16.
Behind the Fence
Fellow plaintiffs Sheila Schroers and Jason Wendt describe losing access to three vehicles in a single visit on April 6, 2023. Their driveway extended into a private backyard, where officers directed Hartmanns to collect a Toyota Camry, a Toyota 4Runner, and Wendt’s Dodge Ram.
Schroers says the 4Runner still had valid tags, although bumper damage had kept her from driving it. She could not afford to retrieve either Toyota or the tools and toys inside the Camry. Wendt recovered his truck by paying hundreds of dollars in towing and storage fees.
The lawsuit seeks class certification, compensation, and a declaration that the searches and seizures violated constitutional rights. In the accompanying release, ArchCity Defenders says Schroers and Wendt moved away because of the towing practices.
“They’re stealing from the poor, and this needs to stop,” Schroers said.