Towing Issues: towing and holding personal items, lincoln county sheriff, lincoln county tn

Question
My daughter's vehicle was towed Sat. Oct 4, 2008 while stranded on Hwy. 110 in Lincoln County, TN. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Dept ignored the AAA stickers on the windows and called one of their local towing companies.  The tow company will not give back my son's shot gun that was left in the back seat after dove hunting with friends.  When questioned about not calling AAA, they laughed and stated "NOt everybody that's got AAA stickers is a member."  I am appauld.  Why wouldn't they even attempt to call???????  Now my daughter is stuck with a huge towing bill, storage fees, and they took the gun out of the vehicle and are holding it inside their office in a back room.  Help me, please.  Frustrated. All I want is my son's gun.  My daughter is responsible for the towing fees.  Isn't this the same as stealing the gun out of the vehicle?

Answer
Jane,

The sheriff will often have a car towed if they feel it is in a dangerous spot. If a AAA tower had been dispatched, then they should have notified the sheriff that they were on the way to pick up the car.

The gun is a whole other matter. I would personally contact the sheriff and ask them if the tow company has the right to hold the gun.

Donald