u/YmeFarmer

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Location: California

I was hauling a load of brass shell casings, aluminum and copper to a salvage yard. I was pulled over by a BLM ranger. I was detained in jail for 3 days. I got out, property returned but no wallet or cell phone. After about 3 weeks finally found them. Instead of the law enforcement that arrested me having them the towing company had them and handed them to me through a locked gate in a sealed bag and phone was broken.

There was a hold put on the truck and I was told the tow was $1660 and $190 a day. I satisfied the hold stipulations and it was released and the hold paperwork said it was stored not impounded. Tow company refused to give me an itemized bill and access to my property. When I asked about my property I was told I already got all I was getting, which was phone and wallet.

The truck was pulling a trailer that was not mine. My understanding is to tow them you would have to separate them and tow individually. When I finally got to see my truck it was still connected to the trailer the exact way I had connected it. If towed separate why reconnect them at the yard?

Flash forward 4 months later. Still no access to my property, still no lien on the title and still no itemized bill in writing and the price kept changing. At one point they said I just had to pay the $1660 for the tow and I offered $900 just for the truck and my property since the trailer wasn't mine and they refused to separate them. The law enforcement that had it towed are offering no help.

I had a friend call a couple of weeks ago and they told her that all my property was gone and they were going to scap the truck. Called DMV again and still no lien and still no paperwork from the tow company. I have sent 2 requests by mail for the paperwork also and no reply. Bluebook value on the truck is $16,500 and total value of my property on it is close to that. I live outside and all my tools and gear were on the truck also. I am from Michigan and now my license and tags have expired on my b-day in July and haven't been able to renew them. I am going to local law enforcement and see if they will help me. Any suggestions on what to do here would be appreciated.

Location: California

I was hauling a load of brass shell casings, aluminum and copper to a salvage yard. I was pulled over by a BLM ranger. I was detained in jail for 3 days. I got out, property returned but no wallet or cell phone. After about 3 weeks finally found them. Instead of the law enforcement that arrested me having them the towing company had them and handed them to me through a locked gate in a sealed bag and phone was broken.

There was a hold put on the truck and I was told the tow was $1660 and $190 a day. I satisfied the hold stipulations and it was released and the hold paperwork said it was stored not impounded. Tow company refused to give me an itemized bill and access to my property. When I asked about my property I was told I already got all I was getting, which was phone and wallet.

The truck was pulling a trailer that was not mine. My understanding is to tow them you would have to separate them and tow individually. When I finally got to see my truck it was still connected to the trailer the exact way I had connected it. If towed separate why reconnect them at the yard?

Flash forward 4 months later. Still no access to my property, still no lien on the title and still no itemized bill in writing and the price kept changing. At one point they said I just had to pay the $1660 for the tow and I offered $900 just for the truck and my property since the trailer wasn't mine and they refused to separate them. The law enforcement that had it towed are offering no help.

I had a friend call a couple of weeks ago and they told her that all my property was gone and they were going to scap the truck. Called DMV again and still no lien and still no paperwork from the tow company. I have sent 2 requests by mail for the paperwork also and no reply. Bluebook value on the truck is $16,500 and total value of my property on it is close to that. I live outside and all my tools and gear were on the truck also. I am from Michigan and now my license and tags have expired on my b-day in July and haven't been able to renew them. I am going to local law enforcement and see if they will help me. Any suggestions on what to do here would be appreciated.

Location: California

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I'm trying to figure out whether what happened to me is normal or if something went seriously wrong somewhere in the process.

On April 25, 2026, I was riding with three other people in Imperial County, California. We were traveling in my 2014 Toyota Tundra and pulling a trailer owned by another person.

We were stopped by a BLM ranger. During the stop, officers determined my registration and insurance were not current. I was arrested for resisting and obstruction.

A few days later, on April 28, I was released from jail. The charges were dropped before I ever appeared before a judge.

Here's where things get strange.

My truck and the trailer were towed to a local towing company. BLM placed a hold on the vehicle. After my release, I repeatedly contacted BLM trying to find out what was going on.

Eventually BLM told me I needed to provide current registration and insurance. I did that. After I provided the paperwork, BLM released their hold on the truck.

At that point I thought I could simply retrieve my vehicle.

Instead, the tow company told me I had to pay storage and towing charges not only for my truck, but also for the trailer, even though I do not own the trailer.

Later, when I tried to negotiate and offered cash for the truck alone, I was told they would not release it.

The amount demanded has changed during different conversations. At one point I was told I could pick it up. Later I was told I owed over $1,600. Later I was told there was a lien.

What concerns me is that I have received almost no paperwork during this entire process.

The only documents I have received are:

Jail booking/property paperwork when I was released.

A very limited BLM vehicle report.

A barely readable carbon-copy form from BLM when the hold was released.

I have never been given a full inventory of my property, tow authorization paperwork, storage accounting, or most of the records I expected to receive.

The truck contains tools, camping equipment, a solar generator, a refrigerator, and most of my personal belongings. I have still not been allowed to inventory everything inside.

I'm currently trying to obtain records from BLM, the sheriff's department, the jail, and the towing company.

My questions:

Is it normal for charges to be dropped but a vehicle remain impounded for months afterward?

Is it normal to be charged for a trailer you don't own in order to recover a truck you do own?

What paperwork should I legally have received by now?

Has anyone dealt with a BLM hold and subsequent tow-yard lien situation like this?

I'm not looking for legal representation here. I'm mostly trying to understand whether this sequence of events sounds ordinary or whether there are obvious red flags that I should be focusing on.

Thanks for reading.