LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Two Louisville Metro Police Department tow lot employees were caught on surveillance video taking items from vehicles headed for auction, but prosecutors said they won't face criminal charges.
Emily Howell, a customer at one of the auctions, said she noticed something was missing from the 1996 GMC Sierra she bought in 2023. She paid more than $1,200 for the truck, mostly for the kayak and fishing poles that came with it. But when she got the vehicle, she said several items were gone.
"I noticed the kayak wasn't on top," Howell said. "I noticed the fishing poles were gone. The tool box in the back had been lifted up and rummaged through. That was very disappointing, because that was the reason I had bought the truck — for those items."
Hours of surveillance video from the tow lot doesn't capture Howell's case but does show another incident on June 11, 2024. The grainy, distant video appears to show two people going in and out of cars. LMPD later confirmed they were tow lot employees.
"The video in question depicts two civilian tow lot employees taking items from vehicles in the LMPD tow lot prior to auction," the department said in a statement.
Police said one of the employees, a storage equipment operator, resigned in April. The other, a tow-in equipment operator, still works at the lot.
"I think that's awful," Howell said. "You're just condoning it. The city is just condoning that, that it's OK. That's a slap on the wrist. 'Don't do it again.'"
LMPD said it launched a criminal investigation when it learned about the June 2024 incident and turned the case over to the Jefferson County Attorney's Office. In March, prosecutors declined to file charges against either employee "for their actions associated with the reports of civilian staff removing personal property from vehicles at the LMPD tow lots."
"We have concluded there is not a reasonable likelihood of conviction on any criminal charge," the attorney's office said.
WDRB isn't naming the employees, because they haven't been charged.
Howell said she still wants answers about her case.
"As soon as I realized that happened, I was very angry," she said. "I would like to know who took the kayak and I would like to have the kayak and fishing poles back. And if I can't get those items back, I would like to be reimbursed for it because I bought that and somebody stole that from me."
LMPD said the case remains open and active. The internal investigation will continue despite one employee's resignation. There is no timeline for when that investigation will be complete.
Howell said her truck runs but still has engine issues.
When asked if she would buy from the tow lot again, she said "Probably... but I wouldn't do it for the fishing poles and the kayak that are pictured, because you might not get it.
"I would take a lot more precautions if I were to do that again."
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