In the early hours of the morning on Black Friday in 2023, Virginia Heye’s Kia was stolen for the second time since she’s owned it.
That day, Louisville Metro Police officers found her car and towed it to Metro’s impound lot on Frankfort Avenue, said Valerie Vogedes, Heye’s daughter.
People typically had to pay a tow charge, handling charge and a fee for every day their car sits in the lot. However, those who could show proof their vehicles were stolen have fees waived and a 21-day amnesty period for picking their car up from the lot.
People had to prove their car was stolen by supplying a police report. Only then could the car be taken off the tow lot premises without fees.
But Heye had a mix-up with her police report — including a mishap that required officers to redo the report, Vogedes said — and was initially charged more than one thousand dollars for exceeding the tow lot’s 21-day grace period.
“That was money my mom didn’t have,” Vogedes said. “So they said, ‘Well, we can’t release the car without the payment.'”