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A Towed Car In Myrtle Beach Triggers An ATF Bomb Response · Towing News Now

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_05: You're on the train to success with April and Wes Wilburn.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_05: I'm DJ Harrington, the co-host, better known as the Toad Doctor.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_05: We're all on our way to the town of proper towing and recovery, along with our producer Chuck Camp in the studio.
• 0:22
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• 0:26
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• 0:28
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• 0:30
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• 0:37
  SPEAKER_05: So if you have Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeartMedia, or the number one podcast, or maybe Amazon, or wherever you get your podcast, turn in on Wednesday and be turned on all week long.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_05: If you are a state association and want your announcements or upcoming state association news, or maybe a post show that's coming up, let us know.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_05: Our podcast studio phone number is 706-409-5603.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_05: I'm proud to be part of a great team at the American Dome Recovery Institute.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_05: I will turn it to April and Miss.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you, DJ.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_04: As always, you kind certainly appreciate the kind words and all you do for the podcast.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_04: We got a great podcast interview for you.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_04: We're responding to a news story out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where a towing company that we know very well towed and stored for the local police department a car that had a bigger could have had a bigger impact on the community if not handled correctly.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_04: So we got a great story and some good interviews for you for that.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_04: It's also a busy news day around here.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: Hey guys, uh Chuck here, the producer.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_02: I normally don't jump in, but we got some breaking news today out of Georgia.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure everyone remembers October 19, 2023.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_02: Frank Ingram was dispatched to us.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_02: He was getting ready to hook up his safety chain when he was hit and killed by a vehicle.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: And he only has to serve it in four-day increments.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_02: Now he got sentenced to 180 days, which is six months.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: And he gets to go home on the weekends.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: What do you say about that?
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_04: That is horrible.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_03: There is a lot to be said about that.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_03: Um I I don't know.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_03: W when you look at the things going on today and then something when something like that happens, when a senseless thing like that happens, because that is a completely totally avoidable situation to have been in that man that that man took Frank Frank Ingram's life for.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_03: And he and he gets to go one.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_03: He gets to do it six months, four days at a time.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_03: And then his life gets to go one.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_03: Umly making the tragedy just to me so much more impactful and so much worse.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_03: What do you think about that one?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_05: Well, listeners, I want to tell you, it hits DJ real hard because Frank Frank Ingram was a personal friend uh many, many times.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_05: If I needed help it it was Frank Ingram or one of his people that came over.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_04: His place is run by his son now, and Frank Ingram DJ, just so our listeners understand, you he he lived in your local community in the Great Atlanta suburbs.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_05: He sure does.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_05: Uh you go past Ingram's on the way to Walmart and you can't miss the place.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_05: Uh he lives right there on the property.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_05: His whole family has for years.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_05: He's a fantastic guy, was involved in everything in the community, took care of the racetrack here.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_05: And Frank, if you start thinking back, what is a life worth?
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_05: Is it only worth a hundred and eighty dollars?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_05: Uh to me it's just devastating.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_05: It's just devastating.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, just like anything else.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_05: You sit back and it was hard for me to understand Frank being hit right on 575.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_05: Now our producer, Chuck Camp, will tell you, for me to go to his home, I have to get on 575.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_05: For him to come here to my house, he has to get on 575 to come to my home.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_05: And Ingrams is just a great group of people.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_05: And today I'm just thinking to myself, they're probably all sitting around saying, What is Frank's life worth?
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_05: 120 days.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_05: Served at four-day increments.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_05: That's what really gets my gut.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_05: And I'm thinking, Well boy.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_05: I'm emotional about it.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_05: I I I think it stinks.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_03: Six six months, four days at a time, and for somebody who is such a a huge part of this community, is what is what is it worth?
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's not definitely worth way more than than six months.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: Nothing that they could have done to this guy would have been enough, but definitely more than six months.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: And when you take somebody like that away from the community, it it's just so much more impactful.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: Can I tell you one more thing about that story that I think is a great idea?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: His his uh widow Gloria Ingram is advocating for it to be in driver's education and it to be part of the test when you get your driver's license.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: I think that's a fantastic idea.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that is uh something that would have a long-term impact, something good coming out of this horrible situation.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_05: Well, glorious lady, she'll she'll push it through.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_05: Well, in South Carolina, North Carolina, you guys, you know, um Fred's wife, she was trying to do that.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_05: Also make it part of the education of the state.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_05: We need to all of us need to be educated of teaching people to slow down and move over.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_03: But um the thing common sense ain't too common anymore.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_03: I I I've heard that more than one comment.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's proven proven out many, many times since then.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_05: Well, Wes we were at my daughter's home for a Christmas event last Christmas.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_05: And we made a comment and do you know that only half of the room knew that it was a law that you had to move over in Georgia it's a law.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_05: You have to move over.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_05: Slow down the move and the room knew it.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: I think it is a law in most states now, but it also just be something that y you know to do, but unfortunately it's not, and that's why we need the law.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_04: It it is a law in all fifty states, but uh the laws are broken every day.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_04: It's awareness that we need to raise.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_04: So things like it being part of the driver's license test and education with that when licenses are issued, I think w is a step forward.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_03: It's a huge step forward because if you think about the you know, your first lessons in driving, if that's if that's at least part of it, if that's the beginning part of it, then it might be something that you carry.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_03: There's l likely more of a chance that something that's something you carry with you throughout your life.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_05: Well Wes, I know this is a great podcast that we're about to do here.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_05: I know that.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_04: We we've also got some other news out of Georgia that we might as well talk about to get people up to date.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_04: Apparently there's a House Bill 184, a group of towers on one side of a a group of towers on the other side.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the Trag Facebook page is one place you can find information.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_04: Greg Greeson is a tower in Atlanta that's uh I think they're all on the same side now, but they started out on different sides.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, they did.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_04: So that's going on.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_04: Uh again, we're just trying to make our listeners aware of what's happening out there.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_03: What's the health go for?
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_04: Uh requiring telling companies requiring towing companies to do some recording and have extra fees uh h how to handle process of cards and storage is what it looks like at a very good a thousand mile glance that I'm taking.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_04: I just know that it's happening.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh like I say, I think both groups are together now, but they started out on separate sides.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um so get on Facebook or how uh see what's going on in Georgia.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_04: Uh it's a long, long post where I try to summarize some of it.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_03: We'll share it when we when we um post those podcasts on Facebook, we'll share that.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_04: One of the uh comments was I oppose the House Bill 184 in its current form, especially any provision requiring telling companies to pay to enter rent information or allowing a third party for profit.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_04: Um third party profit off mandatory compliance.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: We must stand together as an industry.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_04: Um so it's about having to spend more money to process cars.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_04: All right, well as we said earlier, I think we said we have a great interview today.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_04: So we need to take a quick break, and right after the break, we'll come after that interview with some friends.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome back, listeners.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_05: You know you're listening to the number one podcast in the towing and recovery industry.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_05: You're listening to American Towing Recovery Institute, a podcast with Wes and April Woolburn and DJ Harrington, the Toe Doctor.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_05: Every week we do our best to bring you informative episodes like this one.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_05: Make sure you download and listen.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_05: We're available on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeartMedia, or wherever you get your podcast.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_05: We're there.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_05: So without further ado, this will be a great one, Wes and April.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_05: And I love these people.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_05: So I'll turn it back over to April and Wes Wilburn.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you, DJ.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_04: Certainly appreciate that.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_04: As we talked about in the first segment, we have a great interview today.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_04: And as you folks that are regular listeners, first first of all, we appreciate you, but as you people with great that are regular listeners know, we try to do current news and and uh take look at it from a television perspective.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_04: So we had some current news happen not too far from where we're at here in North Carolina.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_04: This story comes to us from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um I'll I'll start out giving you a little bit of the scenario and then we'll enter have our guests introduce themselves and we'll talk about what went down.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_04: Authorities found bomb making materials by searching a car that was towed to a nearby towing company following a traffic back arrest on Monday.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_04: And I'll go on with the story as we do the interview.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_04: But basically the car was loaded down with bomb-making explosives, the ATF had to come in and it was quite quite an experience.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_04: So here to tell us all about it is uh good friends of the institute.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_04: Rick Raynor and his daughter-in-law Robin from Quality Tony, Myrtle Beach out there hot.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Rick, would you go ahead and introduce yourself and then Robin, would you do the same?
• 14:53
  SPEAKER_06: Hey guys, how you doing today?
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_04: Great.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_06: It's good to hear from you.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_06: I'm glad we're coming all the way from uh it's about eighty-two degrees here at Myrtle Beach today and a little humid.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_03: Nice a nice change though, isn't it, from the the you guys got snow.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, we had snow back in uh January.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_06: We had about eight inches of snow on the ground.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_06: Um we hardly ever get that, but that was a big story.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_06: Last year we had about nine inches, but it lasted for three days and it melts away.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_06: But it does put us in a uh great predicament of of working like we were from back north again.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_03: That that's kind of a good homecoming, so to speak, as far as um when's the last time you guys had snow like that?
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_06: Well last year we had snow around the same time, but then after that it was about fifteen years so we saw any kind of snow or flurries or anything like that.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: I've never seen the snow on the beach, but I bet I bet you it's beautiful.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_06: Oh yeah.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, it was lots of pictures.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_06: Um nice scenic uh the trees iced over and things like that, things that we don't get to see.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_04: I don't mean to interrupt, but Rick, introduce yourself and t tell a little bit about your background and whatnot.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_06: Uh I'm Rick Rayner.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_06: I'm out of uh northern Burden County, New Jersey.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_06: Uh I've been in uh towing industry for 45 years.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_06: I've been in business in Myrtle Beach for almost 40 years.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_06: Uh I have extensive background in heavies and light, light duty towing, heavy duty towing, recovery.
• 16:31
  SPEAKER_04: Um you know you also have a service center business, don't you?
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_06: Um auto we have auto repair, mechanical and truck shop.
• 16:41
  SPEAKER_06: We also uh sell cars.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_06: We have a car lot.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_06: Uh we got our hands into you know several different things in the automotive industry.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_06: It keeps us busy going.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_06: We have about uh have got 22 trucks, um, anywhere from trailers, land all trailers to heavies, um several smalls, and uh we do everything transporting to to towing.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_04: Uh Robin, give us an introduction of yourself, please.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah, so uh my name is Robin Rayner.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_07: I am uh Rick's daughter-in-law.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_07: Um I have been here, we'll say on and off for about 10 years.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_07: Um right now I am the GM, so I'm kind of just over just the general, you know, everything that kind of goes on for the day-to-day.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_07: Try to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible for him.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_07: Uh but I I'm my main thing is I'm I'm over the girls in the dispatch and um the the drivers.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_07: Um really just the towing side, the the vehicles for sale, things like that.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_07: I'm I'm over.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_03: That's a full plate though, Robin.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: That's a lot to that's a lot to take on and also to have a little one.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_06: So thank God she's got a couple managers or people underneath her that can try to keep things going.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_03: I gotta report to her having a great support team is is essential.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, she's got like thirty thirty-six uh people, around thirty-six people, thirty-seven people working under her.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_04: And Robert, you were front and center there.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_04: This this crisis that happened there.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_04: When when did this happen?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_04: Like what one day li uh give me a date.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_07: It happens on the 16th of February, so just this past Monday.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_04: Which will be two past Mondays for our listeners, because there's about a week delay on these things, so Okay.
• 18:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um but um and so it y'all got as I read the uh the news article is what I read on the s subject and talk briefly with y'all.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_04: But uh you towed the car for the city police uh contract rotation.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_07: Right.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_07: Yep.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_07: Towed it in the the um towed it in on the 16th but of February for a violation.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_07: Right.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_07: This is this was a traffic stop.
• 19:00
  unknown: Right.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_07: This was a traffic stop.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_06: Unregistered vehicle and driving erratic.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_04: So they they towed and stored the car, had it near a lot, and came in the next day.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_04: Is that correct?
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, they did a search uh, I guess that night at the car and did an inventory report.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_06: And um on the inventory report um basically, you know, said they removed some drugs and um things like that, and um there was a um shotgun on the inventory report.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_06: Uh so you know that's that's about normal for Myrtle Beach.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_06: So uh, you know, we never thought anything of it.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_06: So, you know, they drive it to normal situation and towed it back into the yard.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_06: He actually, you know, uh had to make entry to it to lock it up and and remove the keys.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_06: And then uh, you know, and then he goes on about his time.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_06: Robin could see in the next morning a little bit better than I than it's when I got involved.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_04: So that night towed the car, stored it, the driver did what he normally does, and no plus, no mus, nothing out of the ordinary.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_04: Is that what I'm hearing?
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah, knew not knew nothing.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_07: So our staff overnight, they knew nothing with the car sitting, you know, inches away from our office.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_07: They knew nothing about it, the drivers knew nothing about it.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_07: So they're coming in and out, you know, uh uh with vehicles dropping off.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_04: Hang on one second, Robin.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_04: When you say that knew nothing about it, there was there was nothing to be known at this point or in the system center.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_07: Right.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_07: There was nothing to be known.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_06: Nothing to be known.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_06: Um, you know, they put it in they put it in put it into our main yard, which is near our main office.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_06: Um you know, we were lack of spots, so it did get put closer to the building because you know it's been a busy couple weekends here in Myrtle Beach with the warmer weather.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_06: So um it was stored closer, you know, into the yard closer to the building.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_04: Just for a vi visual for uh folks that haven't been to your crapage before, um, how far was the car from uh uh the building?
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_04: Was it right up there tight where you kinda put them when you get filled in the row rows of the service?
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, yeah, it's within a hundred uh I would say within a hundred feet.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and I mean uh knowing your yard if we even if you knew it'd be hard to hard to get it to 150 feet away from anything.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_06: Right, right.
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_06: And it's right, we have different protocols for different cars and something like that would have been put closer to the building than normal to uh you know, putting out, you know, into uh which we have two other yards that we own.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_06: Um you know, so this particular car because it had a gun in it, um you know, which they put the gun back in the car.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_06: They didn't remove the gun.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_06: Um so that gets put close, you know, to the building um for safety.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_04: I'm sorry, Rick.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_04: Did I cut off Rick?
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_04: I apologize.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, yeah, yep.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_04: So Robin.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_04: So the next morning take our viewers there with you, please.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah, next next morning, um two Myrtle Beach City Police Officers uh pull up.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_07: So normally, you know, I'll talk to or I'll assist the the officers.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_07: Uh they asked if we had this 2007 scion um here.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_06: Around 11 a.m.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_06: Um 11 a.m.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, go ahead.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_06: The car was towed at 11 p.m.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_06: the night before.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_04: So we're 12 hours.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, that's 12 hours.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_04: Sorry, Robin, go ahead.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_07: No, you're fine.
• 22:45
  SPEAKER_07: He's he's giving you some good points that you know I'm I'm I'm missing.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_06: So she's a little nervous.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_06: She's she's Wes, I I kind of forced her on this because I said April was honest, so you need to get on there and talk with her.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_04: You're the star of the show, Robin.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_04: Oh no, I'm not.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_04: No, no, no.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_04: No pressure.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_07: I I am not.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_06: She's a better looking on someone.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_07: No.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_04: Can you guys hang around for a short break and we'll be right back after the break to hear some more about what what what what what happened down there?
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_07: Sounds good.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_04: All right, we'll be right back.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome back, Rick.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_05: You know, we have over 20,000 listeners to this podcast, and we can't thank you enough for telling your friends about it.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you for remembering and liking and hit the review button so we can share with everyone.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_05: If you'd like to hear another industry expert like Rick, who's been around a long time, by all means dial the podcast hotline right here in the studio 706-409-5603.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_05: And myself, April, and Wes will do our very best to get that industry expert on the next podcast for you.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you so much for being a listener.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_05: And let me turn it back over to Wes and April.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you, DJ.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_04: Uh as always, I appreciate you, and I appreciate our listeners too.
• 26:00
  SPEAKER_04: And they're agreing this thing.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_04: We can't thank them enough.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_04: But with all that being said, I'm I'm really interested in the story.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um Robin, take take us back to tell us what happened.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_07: Yeah, so uh yeah, on the on the 17th of February, around uh 11 o'clock or so, two uh Myrtle Beach police officers showed up at at our office and asked of the uh Sonic if the sonic was here.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_07: Um they had some information on the vehicle and they needed to secure it.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_07: Um it could have had some bomb uh making material or uh they told you that right off the bat.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_07: Well, yes, they told us it straight from the beginning because they wanted us to evacuate our office.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_07: So at first I had I thought it was in our other yard.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_07: Um so when we found, you know, when I noticed that it was in our first yard, it was more of okay, well, we need to get our employees safe and secure and away from this.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_07: Uh but they did tell us straight from the beginning that yeah, it has yeah, some type of explosives and and they were waiting for right from the beginning, they were waiting for the bomb spot.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_07: So I have one can I ask one question, Robin?
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_03: When I hear things like this, they came 12 hours later to tell you this.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_03: It seems like they knew that the night before, or they should have known that the night before.
• 27:46
  SPEAKER_03: Well, that's the same no.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_07: Well, yeah, no.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_07: Well, Wes, actually, believe it or not, we um after after everyone like uh I know I'm going a little further into the story, but after ATF and the bomb squad had came here and secured all of the stuff out of the car, me and a few other employees, we were talking to the ATF and the bomb squad, and Ori County himself, he said that they Myrtle Beach City should have called them immediately while they were still on scene because of the items that were inside of the car.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_04: What items?
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_07: So someone knew that night prior when the car got towed of the materials inside, and that's why Okay, well they do they do the materials inside.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_04: That's one thing.
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_04: I would say I didn't gather that from what I read, and I only read the one thing.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_03: How would they have known when they came the next morning there were bomb making materials in the car?
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_03: They done pissed whipped the perk out of the station.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, okay.
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_03: What's different crime shows?
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_03: You watch I watch Law and Order and you watch 48 hours, so you got more expertise than I got.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_06: So Robin uh came in came and got me immediately, and I went immediately out to them to find out what's going on, and they had a search warrant for explosive devices and uh bomb making material.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_04: Um and uh Well, they wouldn't even need the warrant.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_04: They told you they needed the car, they gave the data car, aren't they?
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_06: Right.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_06: Well, yeah, normal pro I would think normal protocol would have been called the bomb squad last night before this thing was even towed, or hey, bring it bring it to your crime division.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_06: Normally, you know, when cars were used in crimes here at Myrtle Beach, they they have their own little crime center and we put them right inside, you know, the forensic center, and they go to town on them.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_04: So, but yet they you know, it's very scary that they allowed I I'd say and correct it that um if they knew there's bomb making materials the night before, I'd stand corrected.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_04: I thought that they found out through the you know, talking, investigation, etc.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_04: And because I I'm all I was saying was that they can't predict everything with every possible thing.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, yes, I already said that.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, if they look to the car and see A, B, and C.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_04: So they so they're t they're 12 hours late to the party, so they say there's biomaking material, the car's right here, evacuate people out of the car.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_06: Evacuate uh 200 feet away, and and you know, we see that's where our call center is, so we said, you know, we still gotta operate the call center.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_06: You know, everybody else can move over.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_06: Thank God we had you know the second or third location.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_06: We can but a lot of people were on the road still, a lot of drivers and things, so um it wasn't like we had a lot of people around here, but a good amount.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_06: You know, we have our repair shop guys or and a truck shop and the and the auto shop, you know, all they had to stop.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_06: Everybody had to stop doing work and and move away.
• 30:46
  SPEAKER_04: Sure.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_04: So eleven o'clock Warner Week City Police are there.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_04: How long does it take the bomb squad and APM to show?
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_06: Oh, over an hour.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_06: Oh, it was over an hour.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_06: So they called Ory County Bomb Squad.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_06: Um they called Sled Law Enforcement, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, um, Bomb Squad.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_04: Let me just say they're an excellent uh criminal justice organization that's led to it boy, they were out on time.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_06: So one one came from um uh Conway, South Carolina, the other came from I think they said Ayner.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_04: And then 30, 45 minutes away from the post that our school, right?
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_06: And the big one was uh ATF, which is the federal guys, they came out of Wilmington, North Carolina.
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_06: So we had to wait till the whole party was here before we can uh before they can do anything.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_04: So how long did this fall apart?
• 31:39
  SPEAKER_04: How long did it take for the whole party to sit there?
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_06: Oh, four or five four or five hours, yeah.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_07: We would shut down the whole four to five hours that they were here.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_07: We had to turn customers away.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_07: Um, you know, we had the mechanics, we some one we sent home, you know, just because we're stuffed, we can't do anything, you know.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_07: Sure.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_07: Of course, the other mechanics we have, they they hung around, they were in good spirit and wanted to make sure that we were all safe and after after after a while when they were showing when we were like noticing, it seemed like people were not being maybe as as safe with their bomb gear on, um, and they were just kind of walking in and out.
• 32:27
  SPEAKER_06: So we kind of you know, kind of snuck around the corner back in the building and and watched from a distance what was going on, and and they removed some pretty big devices and things out of the car.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_06: Um you know, we we got a glance and a look at what the what what was going on.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_07: We had to be our own little investigators because at the time that they were here for the four to five hours, nobody came in to tell us anything.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_07: What they were finding, nothing.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_04: Well, I'm sure sure there's reasons why with that.
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_04: I mean the communication skills could have been better, but that's a challenging situation.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_03: Well, on the TV they say always clip to red wire, so maybe they did that.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, four o'clock at this point.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_04: Four o'clock.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_06: That's pretty funny.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_03: It's just getting blown up with the red wire clips.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_06: Mission impossible.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_03: Hey.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_04: All right, Wes, go ahead.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_04: Well, just kind of get a feel for what happened at four o'clock.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_06: Very, very nervous.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_06: Very nervous and and just um and just dunfounded, I guess, of of how if it was this serious, how did they let us take the car from the scene?
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_06: Just gets just like blows my mind, you know?
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_03: And put it right close to your building.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_06: And put put a put a driver in in danger.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, obviously they made a mistake, but I mean But they're going to like their experiences, which is what we're what we're asking for.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_03: The their experience of what they were feeling at that time.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_03: Right was that.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_03: I understand it.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, yeah.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_06: No, and and just um we just made sure no customers came.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_06: We had to stand out by the street, make sure no customers came in the building or came on their property and things like that.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_04: Um so it was So it's four o'clock, they say everything's clear.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_04: What what happens next?
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_06: Uh they left the car they left the they left the car with us.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_06: Um uh so you know, they they removed pretty much everything they needed to.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_06: There was several handgun, illegal handguns in there that that weren't even made the inventory sheet from the night before.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_06: I don't know how that was.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_06: And pipe bombs and things like that.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_06: But um uh they they left us with the car and kind of cleaned up and we went on our way.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_06: And uh kind of business back to normal.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_04: Did the car get picked up?
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_04: No.
• 34:54
  SPEAKER_06: No, that car will never get picked up.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_06: It'd be another car that you know, telling companies get stuck with all the time.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_06: It wasn't even registered to the guy who got um went to jail.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_06: Went to jail.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_04: Um you know, the average listener listening to this is why we're telling, so we we all feel you're paying with that.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_06: Yeah, so it costs us money to South Carolina's got crazy long.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_06: Okay.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_04: So once they declare that there's no bomb in the car, they start backing up how long did it take 'em for all of them to get out of there.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_04: Ten minutes.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_07: I don't think it took 'em long.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_07: I think it was more well, 'cause the news was here.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_07: Um so I think it was more along the lines of yeah, they were trying to get what they need to all leave at the same time.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_07: So they all they all didn't leave individually.
• 35:44
  SPEAKER_07: They all left um together.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_07: So yeah, I would I would say no more than 30 minutes they were they were done.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_07: They came in after after they were done, we were back inside the office.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_07: Um, and she came in and she said um that they were done and all of the explosives, I believe, were removed from the vehicle.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_04: I'm sorry, who was is that came in the case?
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_07: This was the um uh ATF lady, she was the main lady in charge uh in charge.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_07: I don't have her n name, of course.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_07: I asked her for a card, but she didn't um have one on her.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_04: Right.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_04: No, that's uh that that's not necessary.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_04: Anything else either one of you two would like to share about the incident?
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_06: Well I appreciate everybody uh reaching out to us and make sure we're okay.
• 36:38
  SPEAKER_06: We got a lot of hits on our Facebook page and a lot of different phone calls and texts from a lot of people from around the country.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_06: You know, um I know more I know more people, it seems like, you know, uh I I'm friendlier with more people from around the country than some of the guys right here because they all want to argue and fight and tax stab, but um it's uh it was very um nice to have the other people reach out to us.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_06: Be concerned.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_04: Well you from being around the country with your different events, you definitely have a good array of friendships around the country.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_04: Training and all that as well.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_04: So you definitely have a wide array of friends and let's face it.
• 37:28
  SPEAKER_04: If you're within five hundred miles of Myrtle Beach, it's somewhere you visit at least once in your life, if not more, and a whole lot of people visit it once a year, so I'm sure there's a lot of friendships made that way as well.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_06: I'm always here for anybody they need help.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_04: Well Rick, we thank you, and that that is a true statement.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_04: Robbie, give us some party words as well, please.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_07: If you're ever in Myrtle Beach, I mean definitely stop by.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_07: We'd love to meet fellow towers or owners.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_07: Um, and you know, if you ever break down or something, always give us a call.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_07: There you go.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_07: I I enjoyed this podcast even though I didn't know what I was coming into with this, but it has it has been very pleasant talking to you guys and catching up even with this situation.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_07: And I always look forward to seeing you guys when you come down.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_04: Well, thank you.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna be down to this fall.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_04: We're working on a date right now.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_04: We're gonna be down there this fall.
• 38:26
  SPEAKER_06: Yes, we can't wait.
• 38:27
  SPEAKER_06: Can't wait.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_06: Which we could have did in spring, but um, yeah, we got it we'll get it all set for the training class down here.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_04: And folks that are listening, don't forget to go to our website, amtow signup.org.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_04: AMTOW Signup.org.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_04: Uh that's got uh a complete schedule for the years, so don't hesitate to go to that.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_04: UJ, leave us with some parting words of wisdom, would you please?
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_05: Well, I am so glad that Rick and Robin was on the podcast.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_05: Rick is one of the finest people in the country, and when they say come on down and visit, they are that way.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_05: He is uh I could be president of his fan club.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_05: Rick is just a good, good person.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_05: And not because he's originally from the same hometown as I am up in New Jersey.
• 39:22
  SPEAKER_05: So I had to put that.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_05: Thanks, DJ.
• 39:27
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, there's no doubt.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, my partying words are uh I always tell Wes, a tower is always there.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_03: Whenever we hear something on the news about a situation, uh normally a tower is there to tow the vehicle away.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_03: And in this situation it was kind of reverse one for what you know happened to you guys.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but a tower is there is always there.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_03: So that's my c that's my parting word.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_03: We're the unsung heroes.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, speaking of Jersey, John Glass was Morristown Autobody years ago, who was very involved with CRA and whatnot, years ago suggested that uh about writing an article for like the New York Times and he called it a tower was there.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_04: And at that point, just recently before that, a street class of New York City and uh I don't remember if a tow truck fell in or definitely the tow truck getting the cars out of the hole.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_04: And that he gave that as an example, like April said, as any kind of event that involves an automobile in any way, shape, or form.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_04: Going is there to is the silent hero there to exist.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_04: So folks, and if you're listening, you're one of those silent heroes, let that put a little thunder in your chest.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_04: Don't be cocky about it.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_04: But be proud of who you are and what you do for your community.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_04: That being said, it's cold out here in most parts of the country, and hotel's been running themselves ragged.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_04: Make sure you take time to take care of yourself.
• 40:56
  SPEAKER_04: Don't get yourself too exhausted.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_04: I know that's easy to say, hard to do.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_04: Be safe and God bless each and every one of you.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks for listening.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_04: We'll talk about you.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_04: Hear you next week.