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Woman had to pay nearly $200 to get stolen car back from impound lot

Posted at 2:20 PM, Oct 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-13 14:20:28-04

INDIANAPOLIS (WRTV) — An Indianapolis woman is reunited with her car one week after it was stolen from a gym on Indianapolis’ south side – but she was shocked when she had to pay nearly $200 to get it back from the impound lot.

Britni Purdue was working out at Planet Fitness when police say someone pretended to be a possible customer to gain access to the locker rooms. That person stole Purdue’s purse and then took off in her car.

A week later, an Indianapolis police officer knocked on Purdue’s door to tell her that her stolen car was recovered, and it was taken to the city’s impound lot.

When she went to pick it up, though, she was surprised when they told her it would be $180.

Purdue says the inside was also so disgusting that she had to take it to get a detail immediately.

“There were needles, pill bottles, condoms, in the trunk my spare tire kit was stolen and there were bullet casings,” said Purdue. “There was even someone’s dirty underwear in the trunk.”

Her stolen purse was also nowhere to be found.

Auto Return is the company that handles police impounds in Indianapolis. The company says they are required to implement a $130 initial towing fee and a $30 per day fee for storage.

The only way those fees can be waived is if police upload a release form in the system and recommend the waiver.

IMPD recommends that victims communicate with detectives before retrieving their stolen vehicles, something Purdue says she wasn’t aware of.