I had a wonderful time at Dragon Con and got to actually hang out and drink with persons of television notoriety. This all but makes up for the fact that we were 1) Booted 2) Robbed and 3) Falsely Threatened with Imprisonment.
Let me be more specific:
It is my opinion based on information gathered by A) Atlanta Law Enforcement B) the surrounding Hotels C) the person subcontracted to place and remove wheel boots and D) the man on the street that Central Parking - specifically in the lot on 126 Baker Street, Downtown Atlanta - is booting cars with out-of-state-tags and in effect holding them hostage for money.
The facts are as follows:
We arrived and parked at the lot on 126 Baker Street in Atlanta at 4:20pm Friday the 2nd of September.
Two witnesses saw me place our cash in the slot for our spot - #12
A note with the lot number was place around the money with our space number (again, #12)
I used the little 'rammer key' to 'ram' the money into the slot.
I checked to make sure said monies had disappeared behind the metal flange (I always do)
According to the booting subcontractor, the boot was placed at or around 4:30pm THAT DAY.
I will add here that the hotels were suspicious. The police were suspicious. When questioned, the dude who worked at the bar next door said they were crooks.
Currently, I am working with the police, the BBB and the Department of Licensing and Permits to see what's up. There are a million reasons why this could all be an innocent misunderstanding. Yet I feel that something here is amiss.
In either case, I was told that removing a privately owned boot was a felony. I believe that this refers to removing and keeping the boot, which would constitute grand theft and indeed a felony. My legal advice team (neighbors) assured me that simply removing the boot would only carry whatever penalties were associated with parking and not paying for my time on the lot. Civilians cannot charge you with a felony.
Bottom line. I'll keep everyone updated. And don't use Central Parking in Atlanta - especially on 126 Baker Street.
