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CRIME

‘Parking lot sheriff’ arrested for draconian towing charges

An Augsburg business owner known as the “parking lot sheriff” has been charged with extortion and coercion for taking advantage of parking offenders by confiscating their vehicles and demanding exorbitant fees, court officials said Thursday.

'Parking lot sheriff' arrested for draconian towing charges
Photo: DPA

“He simply went too far,” spokesperson for the Augsburg public prosecutor’s office Matthias Nickolai said.

The 30-year-old man is accused of 43 counts of extortion and 12 counts of coercion after forced money out of drivers for illegal parking under contract of supermarkets, hospitals and clinics, Nickolai confirmed.

He and his employees reportedly waited only moments to block the cars, use tire clamps and tow these cars – after which they demanded some €400 from their owners before revealing the location of the vehicles. The amount is well over the norm for towing fees, Nickolai said.

His case was initially heard it he city’s municipal court, but the judge there found his transgressions to be outside the courts’ jurisdiction and referred it to the district court – which issued an arrest warrant this week due to the commercial nature of the alleged crimes.

“That increases the possible punishment from one year to 15 years,” Nickolai said.

The court has not set a trial date yet.

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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