There’s a right way and a wrong way to get your car back after a repossession, and a 21-year-old El Paso man just gave everyone a textbook example of the wrong way. According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Donovan Acklin decided that instead of dealing with paperwork, lien holders, or a redemption fee, he’d simply go get his truck himself. No lawyers, no phone calls, no waiting around for an auction date. Just a straightforward break-in.
Deputies say Acklin broke into a property on the 14400 block of Cassidy Drive in Far East El Paso and drove off in the very vehicle that had been repossessed out from under him and was sitting there waiting to be auctioned. The theft was reported on June 18. Five days later, deputies tracked the truck down at an apartment complex on Eastlake Boulevard in Horizon City, and Acklin was right there with it. Investigators say he admitted to taking it, according to KFOX 14.
For anyone who has never had a vehicle repossessed, here’s the part that trips people up: once the lender’s agent tows your car, it is legally theirs to hold until you pay off what’s owed, plus fees, or until it’s sold. You don’t get to just walk onto the storage lot and drive off because you feel like the car is still “yours.” It isn’t, not until you settle up. Acklin apparently skipped that step entirely and went straight for the self-checkout lane.
He was arrested on June 25 and booked into the El Paso County Downtown Jail, facing charges of property theft, criminal trespass, and criminal mischief. Bond was set at $7,000, and jail records show he posted a surety bond and was released this past Sunday.
The Redemption Process Actually Isn’t That Complicated
Texas is a self-help repossession state, meaning a lender with a valid lien can take a vehicle back without ever setting foot in a courtroom, as long as they don’t breach the peace doing it. But that same law gives the borrower an out too. If you want your car back before it’s auctioned, you can redeem it by paying the full loan balance plus reasonable repossession costs.
It’s not cheap, and it’s not always fast, but it’s legal, and it doesn’t end with a mugshot.
Why “It’s My Car” Doesn’t Hold Up in Court
I get the instinct. You financed it, you drove it, your travel mug is probably still in the cupholder.
But once you default and the tow truck shows up, ownership on paper takes a back seat to the lien. Walking onto that lot and driving away isn’t reclaiming property, it’s theft in the eyes of the law, lien or no lien.
A Five-Day Head Start Wasn’t Enough
What’s almost impressive here is how quickly this unraveled. Five days from theft report to arrest isn’t exactly a criminal mastermind’s timeline, especially when you’re driving around in the exact vehicle everyone’s already looking for.
If you’re going to make headlines for grand theft, at least switch neighborhoods.