http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/08/23/cleared2.htm
Car theft arrest was a mistake
By Chris McKenna
Times Herald-Record
cmckenna@th-record.com
Kiryas Joel – You just can't predict what's going to happen when you take the minivan out to return a few things at Wal-Mart.
In the case of Jonas Dresdner, events began to unravel when a cop stopped him for making an illegal turn and soon turned surreal as he was led before a judge in handcuffs, charged with a felony.
It seems that the 36-year-old father of seven from Kiryas Joel had the misfortune of buying a used Kia Sedona last year that had been reported stolen by its previous owner, who must not have realized that the bank had repossessed his vehicle.
That mistaken report lodged itself in a police database and ultimately sent Dresdner on an aggravating foray into the criminal-justice system, one that has taken him and his lawyer seven weeks to resolve.
His tale began Feb. 3 when he went to a local dealer and paid $8,300 for the 2002 minivan, which the dealer had bought at an auction in Connecticut in September 2004, according to records he later obtained.
There was no hint of a problem until July 6, when Dresdner was making his way home from the Town of Newburgh Wal-Mart through New Windsor and overlooked a no-right-on-red sign at an intersection.
A cop stopped him and ran the usual license and vehicle checks. What he found was that Dresdner's minivan had been reported stolen in Camden, N.J., in May 2004.
Dresdner, surprised, said he had the vehicle title at home and offered to have a friend bring it. But the next thing he knew, he was standing before Town Justice Richard Thorpe, being arraigned on a charge of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony.
"I'm in a pickle," he recalls thinking. "Somebody did something wrong."
Had his friend not shown up in court to post his $1,500 bail, Dresdner would soon have been changing into an orange jumpsuit at the Orange County Jail.
Within two days, Dresdner had partly resolved the mess. The Camden police told their New Windsor counterparts that the minivan wasn't stolen and Dresdner got the vehicle back.
But that left the small matter of a pending felony charge.
The case was now in the hands of the Orange County district attorney's office, which had to investigate the matter itself before it could ask the court to dismiss the charge.
For seven weeks, the wheels of justice turned and the charge hung over Dresdner's head.
Today, he's finally scheduled to appear in Town Court to be formally cleared of the charge.
Aside from the humiliation and trouble, Dresdner's Kafka-like experience has proved costly – more than $900 for his attorney and a towing fee.
He said yesterday that he's angrier at the system that allowed it to occur than at the authorities he dealt with during his ordeal.
"I still believe that if I buy a car and New York state gives me the title and registration, New York state cannot turn around and arrest me."
Car theft arrest was a mistake
By Chris McKenna
Times Herald-Record
cmckenna@th-record.com
Kiryas Joel – You just can't predict what's going to happen when you take the minivan out to return a few things at Wal-Mart.
In the case of Jonas Dresdner, events began to unravel when a cop stopped him for making an illegal turn and soon turned surreal as he was led before a judge in handcuffs, charged with a felony.
It seems that the 36-year-old father of seven from Kiryas Joel had the misfortune of buying a used Kia Sedona last year that had been reported stolen by its previous owner, who must not have realized that the bank had repossessed his vehicle.
That mistaken report lodged itself in a police database and ultimately sent Dresdner on an aggravating foray into the criminal-justice system, one that has taken him and his lawyer seven weeks to resolve.
His tale began Feb. 3 when he went to a local dealer and paid $8,300 for the 2002 minivan, which the dealer had bought at an auction in Connecticut in September 2004, according to records he later obtained.
There was no hint of a problem until July 6, when Dresdner was making his way home from the Town of Newburgh Wal-Mart through New Windsor and overlooked a no-right-on-red sign at an intersection.
A cop stopped him and ran the usual license and vehicle checks. What he found was that Dresdner's minivan had been reported stolen in Camden, N.J., in May 2004.
Dresdner, surprised, said he had the vehicle title at home and offered to have a friend bring it. But the next thing he knew, he was standing before Town Justice Richard Thorpe, being arraigned on a charge of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, a felony.
"I'm in a pickle," he recalls thinking. "Somebody did something wrong."
Had his friend not shown up in court to post his $1,500 bail, Dresdner would soon have been changing into an orange jumpsuit at the Orange County Jail.
Within two days, Dresdner had partly resolved the mess. The Camden police told their New Windsor counterparts that the minivan wasn't stolen and Dresdner got the vehicle back.
But that left the small matter of a pending felony charge.
The case was now in the hands of the Orange County district attorney's office, which had to investigate the matter itself before it could ask the court to dismiss the charge.
For seven weeks, the wheels of justice turned and the charge hung over Dresdner's head.
Today, he's finally scheduled to appear in Town Court to be formally cleared of the charge.
Aside from the humiliation and trouble, Dresdner's Kafka-like experience has proved costly – more than $900 for his attorney and a towing fee.
He said yesterday that he's angrier at the system that allowed it to occur than at the authorities he dealt with during his ordeal.
"I still believe that if I buy a car and New York state gives me the title and registration, New York state cannot turn around and arrest me."