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by Elizabeth Ruiz
A local towing company executive who was issued about 450 misdemeanor citations in one day has been acquitted in one of those cases.
Bexar Towing president Alex Garcia was found not guilty of overcharging a customer $250 for a nonconsent tow, which is way above the city's current $85 limit.
"Just because he's the president of a company doesn't make him liable in a criminal fashion for the way they charged him. That was our defense and Alex was acquitted of the charge against him in this first case," attorney Mark Cannan told 550 KTSA.
He's hoping the city will drop the 400 plus cases still pending against Garcia.
"On May 10 of last year, police descended on the offices of Bexar Towing and checked the records and wrote up in the neighborhood of 450 cases . Alex Garcia was cited in all of those cases," said Cannan.
He says it would be a waste of time and money for the city to pursue all those cases after Garcia was acquitted Wednesday afternoon.
"We established the principle that Alex Garcia is personally not criminally liable on the misdemeanor charge that was levelled against him in this case and that should control all the others," said Cannan.
Bexar Towing founder John de Loach also went on trial in Muncipal Court Wednesday afternoon, but Judge Robert Lipo asked for more information from the attorneys in that case.
Meanwhile, San Antonio City Council is scheduled to vote January 31 on whether to increase the $85 limit on a nonconsent tow to $177.
