Myrtle Beach police charged the owner of Quality Towing, Inc. with violating the city's towing ordinances on 258 different occasions.
Wednesday morning, a city judge set 42 year old Rick Rahner's bond at $58,856 and released him on a PR bond.
Investigators charged Rahner following a search of his business last year. Investigators served Rahner with a search warrant at his 1657 Plaza Place towing business in October of 2007.
According to the warrants, Rahner charged over-charged customers on towing fees, storage fees, and charged excessive amounts for after hour vehicle releases. Police investigated the tows Quality made that involved vehicles illegally parked on private parking, according to authorities.
The city's towing ordinance only allows towing companies to charge customers $18.00 for every 24 hours a vehicle is on the lot, allows a maximum fee of $25.00 for after-hours release, and allows towing compaines to charge a maximum of $90.00 towing fees for vehicles that weigh less that 10,000 unless the company uses tow "dollies" which would allow a company to charge $130.00.
The warrants state that Rahner violated the ordinances throughout 2007.
Rahner sued the city of Myrtle Beach over the towing ordinance in the late 90s, citing a conflict between the city's towing ordinance and state towing laws which govern towing fees.
In February 2000, the South Carolina Supreme Court heard the case and ruled in April of that year that the city's towing ordinance did not conflict with state law and ruled against Rahner's case.
According to the South Carolina's secretary of state's business license office, Rahner's company is in good standing and opened for business in 1990.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of $776 fine or 30 days in jail, according to the city's clerk's office.
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