KC tow company has ‘essentially stolen cars off the street,’ prosecutor alleges
The owner of a Kansas City towing company and his mother each now face a dozen additional felony charges for alleged illegal towing practices, according to court records.
Platte County Prosecutor Eric Zahnd last week filed court papers seeking to add 12 new felony counts to the existing six counts pending counts against each defendant: 44-year-old Donald Adamson, who owns Metro Tow and Transport, and his mother, 66-year-old Lannette Adamson.
“We allege they are bad actors, having essentially stolen cars off the street and demanded outrageous sums to return cars to their rightful owners,” Zahnd said on Monday. “We will do everything in our power to rid Platte County of predatory tow companies.”
The investigation into the tow company is ongoing, Zahnd added.
Donald Adamson’s attorney, J.R. Hobbs, said Tuesday that they just happened to be in court the day the new charges were filed. During the hearing, they acknowledged receipt of the amended charges, waived formal arraignment and entered a not guilty plea. They also waived a preliminary hearing.
An attorney for Lannette Adamson could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to court documents, Kansas City police became aware of numerous complaints and disputes related to Metro Tow and Transport over the past several years. Victims questioned the legitimacy of their vehicles being towed and the costs being charged. Some have been unable to retrieve their vehicles due to technicalities cited by Metro Tow employees, ultimately losing the title to their vehicles after the tow company categorized them as “abandoned property.”
In April, prosecutors in Platte County charged the two each with three felony counts of tampering with a motor vehicle and three felony counts of forgery for submitting a falsified abandoned property report with the intent to defraud. They both have pleaded not guilty.
The amended charges would add six counts of tampering with a motor vehicle and six counts of forgery, bringing the total of charges that each faces to 18 in Platte County.
Prosecutors allege the crimes stem from the towing of a 2014 Chevrolet Traverse on Jan. 20; a 2022 Nissan Rogue on Jan. 24; a 2014 GMC Acadia on Jan. 25, a 2012 Ford Focus on Jan. 29, a 2020 Ford F-150 on Feb. 3, a 2013 Honda Odyssey on March 3; a 2025 Nissan Altima on March 4; a 2027 Ford Edge on March 27; and a 2016 Volvo XC60 on April 5.
The Adamsons also face similar charges in Jackson County. In April, prosecutors announced they had charged both Donald Adamson and Lannette Adamson each with four counts of stealing, four counts of forgery and one count of first-degree harassment, all felonies, in Jackson County Circuit Court. They pleaded not guilty to those charges as well.
Those charges, however, were amended when prosecutors filed superseding indictments in both cases in early September.
Donald Adamson now faces 25 felony counts in Jackson County: nine counts of deceptive business practices, eight counts of stealing, six counts of forgery, and two counts of first-degree harassment.
Meanwhile, Lannette Adamson faces 14 felony counts in Jackson County: six counts of stealing, six counts of forgery, and two counts of first-degree harassment.
