Opinion ID: 169079
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: A Robber Steals a Tow Truck and Uses It to Steal a Corvette

Text: 3 The criminal charges in this case stem from two related incidents. The first occurred in June 1999, when a tow truck was stolen from an Amoco service station in Overland Park, Kansas. John Loper, then an Amoco employee, saw someone drive the truck from the station and pursued it. When the thief noticed Loper, he attempted to back the tow truck into Loper's car; Loper evaded that attempted strike, so the thief made a U-turn and rammed Loper's car head-on before driving away on the passenger's side of Loper's car. Loper testified that he saw the thief's face twice: once for maybe fifteen seconds while the thief was attempting to back into Loper's car, Trial Tr. vol. I, 57, and again for approximately twenty seconds while trying to avoid the head-on collision. Id. at 58-59. 4 The second incident occurred soon after the first. On July 5, 1999, the tow truck thief used his new acquisition to attempt to steal a 1986 Corvette from an apartment building in Merriam, Kansas. The Corvette's owner, John Kase, heard chains rattling outside his window and saw the would-be thief hooking his car to the tow truck. Kase confronted the robber, who claimed that he was repossessing the Corvette. When Kase protested and said the Corvette was paid for, the robber said, Buddy, I've got a gun. Go back to your apartment. Id. at 110. Kase refused to comply and inspected his car to see how securely it was attached to the truck — until, that is, the thief grabbed a gun from the front seat. Id. at 110-11. At that point, Kase made a beeline back to his apartment, id. at 111, and the robber drove off with the Corvette in tow. 5 By happenstance, Kase was not alone that day. His friend Scott Beckman was visiting from Minnesota. Mr. Beckman witnessed the confrontation but stayed close to Kase's apartment and therefore did not get as near to the thief as Mr. Kase did. During the episode, which he estimated took anywhere from five to eight minutes, id. at 240, Mr. Beckman reentered Mr. Kase's apartment to search for documents that proved Mr. Kase owned the Corvette free from any liens. Shortly after he reemerged, Mr. Beckman saw the robber point the gun at Mr. Kase and drive away. 6 Messrs. Kase and Beckman jumped into Beckman's car and began following the tow truck. Just as they did, another of Mr. Kase's friends, John Eglich, arrived at Kase's apartment on a Kawasaki bullet bike. Mr. Eglich knew something was amiss because he saw the tow truck dragging the Corvette, its rear wheels skidding because it was still in park. Id. at 150-51. At Kase's urging, Eglich stayed on his motorcycle and chased the truck. Id. at 151. He pursued it around the apartment complex for about a half a block until it stopped, whereupon Eglich pulled up next to the driver's side window and, while still seated on his motorcycle, asked the driver what he was doing. The driver answered, I'm repoing this vehicle. Id. at 156. Eglich told the driver that the car was his friend's, that it was paid for, and that he was not repoing anything. Id. The driver responded by pointing a gun at Mr. Eglich and saying, Get away from the truck. Id. Before Mr. Eglich could react, the robber drove away. Mr. Eglich testified that this conversation lasted thirty to forty-five seconds. Id. at 169. 7 Before the truck left Eglich's view, the Corvette broke loose and was heavily damaged. Eglich renewed his pursuit, but the thief eluded him. Eglich returned to Mr. Kase's apartment where, minutes later, the robber reappeared and drove the tow truck toward Eglich as if to run him over. Eglich jumped off his motorcycle just in time to avoid a collision, and the robber left for good. 8