BELLE FOURCHE-Butte County Sheriff Fred Lamphere has removed 3J Towing from the rotation of vehicle towing companies in the county. It’s been a process that has followed a series of events that has ended in the removal.
According to 3J Oil Media and Towing owner, John Tracy, what has been said during Butte County Commission meetings has not been true and should be clarified. The company is involved in a civil suit against the owner of a vehicle that had been towed. The owner of that vehicle is implicated in a criminal case (09CR123- 287).
Sheriff Fred Lamphere explained 3J Towing was removed from rotation because Tracy refused to comply with a court order, which could be viewed as contempt of court order. His office had advised the owner of the vehicle to seek a civil remedy for not being able to obtain their possessions.
State’s Attorney LeEllen McCartney expounded that Tracy had refused to allow the owner of the towed vehicle to have personal belongings and the defense attorney of the vehicle’s owner obtained an order signed by Judge Day, Chief Judge of the Fourth Circuit, ordering Tracy to release the personal information and items. Tracy refused to comply with that judicial order.
There is currently a Motion for Order to Show Cause pending in the criminal case where the defense counsel has moved the Court for an order to show cause why Tracy should not be held in contempt for refusing to obey Judge Day’s order. Tracy’s attorney has replied to that Motion.
3J Towing has been in business in the Belle Fourche and Spearfish areas and beyond to the Tri-State area over 10 years and handles a myriad of local and long-distance towing and transporting services.
