Towing company owner’s sentencing postponed

Rosse

HART — The sentencing of Paul J. Rosse, the owner of Paul’s Towing in Hart, has been adjourned until Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. in 27th Circuit Court.

Rosse is facing up 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to one felony count of common law fraud. His sentencing was initially set for Aug. 26.

He was arrested last June by the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office for “ghost towing.”

“A ‘ghost tow’ is the term used to describe when a suspect would call in a situation to a company like AAA and request a tow, usually a long distance tow that may cost several hundred dollars,” explained Lt. Craig Mast of the OCSO. “The suspect then does not send any tow at all but collects (money) from AAA.” Rosse had been “ghost towing” over the last few months, Mast said. Rosse bonded out of the Oceana County Jail on a $5,000/10 percent bond. His AAA contract was cancelled, Mast said.

The towing company owner will have to pay over $23,000 in restitution as part of his sentence, said Oceana County Prosecutor Joe Bizon. “We are happy to hold him accountable,” Bizon said. “What he did was completely inappropriate and unethical.”