580 credit score mortgage

Car, good credit score both gone after false arrest

Most of us would agree that we want Chicago Police officers to pursue the bad guys and to protect the good guys. But cops have a tough job. And they can end up taking innocent people to jail. When that happens, it can cost an innocent family plenty.

In the case of Darron Wadlington, a 22-year-old South Sider, who was falsely arrested on a drug charge last month, the costs keep adding up.

Wadlington's mother, Debra Collins-Jones, has complained about the behavior of police officers in Chicago's 22nd Police District in the past.

Her son Darron is an active member of the Illinois National Guard, is employed as a child welfare attendant with the Chicago Board of Education and attends Olive-Harvey Community College. In other words, Wadlington appears to be a young man who would make any mother proud.

When he was arrested for allegedly possessing 40 grams of cocaine, his mother, father and aunt went to the police station and tried to talk to police. But since Wadlington is an adult, police weren't required to give his parents any information.

"When I arrived home, I contacted the Office of Professional Standards in another attempt to gain information," Collins-Jones said in her written account of the arrest. "Darron does not do drugs, nor does he sell them. He doesn't even smoke cigarettes, for that matter."

On Jan. 20, a Circuit Court judge dismissed the drug charges against Wadlington. Apparently, the white powder police suspected was cocaine was actually a dietary supplement used by body builders.

But that didn't end the drama. When police arrested Wadlington, they also impounded his '95 Buick Riviera.

Finance company notified

"The city wouldn't give me the car back because of the drug investigation, but the officer who was investigating the case called my finance company and reported that the car was impounded," he said.

What happened next is mind-boggling.

Apparently, on Jan. 16, the Toyota finance company sent the Repo Man to the Chicago Police Department's car pound, and Wadlington's car was "repo'd."

"It would have been more understandable if Toyota had contacted me. But they picked up my car and counted it as a repossession. They now want me to pay the repossession fee, plus what they paid the city," he said.

To reinstate his contract, Toyota Financial Services is asking Wadlington to pay $314.94, the amount they allege is past due, plus $500 for the repossession. Bear in mind, Wadlington has already made about 43 payments at $314.94 each, and he owes about $1,550 on the car. His monthly car note is due on the 15th of the month, which means that the company repossessed the car when the note was one day past due.

According to Kerry Rivera, a Toyota spokeswoman, the loan company received the city's notice on Jan. 9, and because it holds the lien, it is the company's policy to seize a vehicle when it is impounded in a criminal case.

"It is our policy to work with the customer to get the car back in their possession," she said.

If that's Toyota's policy, it is a bad one. Scores of young black males are arrested falsely. Why should they have to bear this extra financial burden?

Claims failure to pay

Further, Toyota's written notice to Wadlington claimed the company repossessed his car for failure to make payment.

"The finance company was hoping that I was going to leave it in the pound," Wadlington said. "Then they could take it and resell it, plus I would still owe them for the balance of the car loan."

Wadlington's mother alleges that the Police Department's call to Toyota is part of the harassment her son has endured.

"My son can rarely visit me without being pulled over in this neighborhood," she said.

A spokesman with the Chicago Police Department denied that Wadlington is being harassed.

"It is our responsibility to notify the owner of the car," Dave Bayless told me. "If we ran a [vehicle identification number] and the owner of that car could not be determined, that would explain it."

Before his arrest, Wadlington was set to buy a two-flat in the city. Under the provisions of a special mortgage program, buyers must score between 580 and 700 on their credit report. After the repossession, Wadlington's credit score plummeted to 520. That number has stopped him from closing on the property.

"I couldn't believe that Toyota had sent this to the credit bureau already," Wadlington said. "I've already paid Toyota more than $10,000 for the car. I think they owed me more than one phone call -- which showed up on the caller ID -- before they wrongfully repossessed my car."

He refuses to pay the repossession fee.

"The repossession would still be on the credit report," he said. "The lawyer is asking for $1,100 to expunge my record and to file a civil suit against the loan company. I'd rather pay the lawyer and make sure my name is clean."

These are the hidden costs of the failed War on Drugs.