Jeswald Towing owner due in court over junked cars

Staff report

AUSTINTOWN

The owner of Jeswald Towing, who faces charges of illegally using towed vehicles, has a court hearing scheduled today.

Police on Monday charged Anthony Jeswald, owner of the business at 6528 Mahoning Ave., with unauthorized use of motor vehicles, a first-degree misdemeanor, said police Chief Bob Gavalier.

Jeswald is scheduled for arraignment today in Mahoning County Area Court here, Gavalier said.

The chief said details of the investigation won’t be released until after today’s court hearing.

Township police and Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers served a search warrant at the business Feb. 7 after an investigation into why vehicles towed by Jeswald for the police department seemed to go to the junk yard without proper authorization.

Gavalier said previously that the proper procedure for junking towed vehicles includes first sending a certified letter to the vehicle’s owner, and then sending an affidavit for the unclaimed vehicle to be signed off by the department.

“It looks like they were forging the names of the former police chief and [a lieutenant]” he said. “They somehow took an old affidavit form and copied it so they could forge the name and make it look like we had signed off.”