He can check out any time he likes, but he can never leave. How's this legal?!

I found this link on FoxNews a little earlier. I’ll just post it here for ease in response:

[removed copyrighted material]

LINK HERE

First of all, how is this even legal? I’m pretty sure kicking the guy off the premises and keeping the guy’s truck constitutes theft, but perhaps I’m wrong.

Any legal eagles want to chime in on this?

IANAL, but it sure sounds like theft to me. I wonder if this Crase asshole is in tight with the local cops, and this is why they didn’t intervene.

If I was Gary Schroeder, I’d tape a $1 bill to the damaged awning, and leave a note saying that if Crase wanted any more money, he’d have to come to New Jersey in person to collect it.

IANAL, but I am highly opinionated, and my take is that to deprive the guy the use and access to his property is an unlawful taking, i.e. theft, and holding that property hostage because you don’t like the offered insurance settlement is extortion.

I’d say the sheriff screwed up by allowing the hotel owner to hold the guy hostage, claiming that he couldn’t get involved in a ‘civil matter’. It was a motor vehicle accident, and he sure as hell has jurisdiction over those.

The hotel owner should have burned up a lot of camera film documenting the event, taken name and license info, and prepared a damage suit.

As it is, the old coot held hostage should make life very rough for the hotel owner.

A copyrighted news story cannot be quoted in its entirety . . . even though credit is given.

Your link is perfectly acceptable.

Cajun Man
for the SDMB

Tally Ho Motel? I think I’d have sat on the lawn across the street with a BB gun, shooting out the first five letters in the motel’s sign.

That would make you a Tallywhacker.

Bwa ha ha!

Mountain Dew Pitch Black doesn’t come off the screen so good.

Best pop culture reference title of the month.

Yes, but a Tallywhacker that weighs 215 lbs and shoots BBs.

Whoa. I’ve never seen anyone destroy a tractor with a chainsaw before…

I’m thinking that maybe there was a wooden fence in front of the camper, and he cut thru that to escape.