Patrick Tocher and 4 Others Charged in Alleged Illegal Vehicle Towing Scheme in Santa Ana

The former and current owners of Santa Ana towing and security companies face several criminal charges related to an alleged illegal towing operation. At the center is Patrick Tocher, who owned the companies for years before selling them, moving to Hawaii and, according to prosecutors, remaining in contact with the current owners.

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It essentially boils down to this, according to the complaint: Security Towing and Night and Day Security were owned by Tocher and run out of the same Santa Ana yard. He is alleged to have directed Night and Day Security employees to authorize towing by Security Towing trucks even though property owners had given no permission for the towing.

Tocher is further accused of failing to register his companies with the state Employment Development Department, paying employees in cash and failing to provide workers with required pay stubs or tax documents. He faces more than 20 felony counts of everything from conspiracy and forgery to tax evasion and dissuading a witness.

He had transferred ownership of his companies in 2008 to Ernest Boone, Martha Boone, Edward Boone and Arthur Boone, who prosecutors accuse of continuing the illegal business practices and seeking Tocher's advice. They are each charged with conspiracy, dissuading a witness, forgery, the unlawful taking of a vehicle and misdemeanor tax evasion.

If you've ever had your car towed in Santa Ana, you must hate hearing this.

Email: mc****@oc******.com. Twitter: @MatthewTCoker. Follow OC Weekly on Twitter @ocweekly or on Facebook!

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