From Houston, we have a tale that really exemplifies what is wrong with this country. The government borrowed this man’s truck, returned it months later full of bullets and blood, endangered his business and his family, then refused to compensate him a dime!
The Houston Chronicle reports:
Back in November 2011, a DEA task force was supposed to be watching truck driver Chapa from the ground and the air as he delivered a load of marijuana fresh from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston. The plan was for Chapa to take them to where the load was to be delivered and arrest cartel members there.
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But as the truck entered northwest Houston under the watch of approximately two dozen law enforcement officers, several heavily armed Los Zetas cartel-connected soldiers in sport utility vehicles converged on Patty’s truck.In the ensuing firefight, Patty’s truck was wrecked and riddled with bullet holes, and a plainclothes Houston police officer shot and wounded a plainclothes Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was mistaken for a gangster.
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The truck’s driver was killed and four attackers were arrested and charged with capital murder.
Patty’s truck was impounded and later released to him, but was out of service for months. The DEA refused to pay for the damages, as did Patty’s insurance company, which ruled that the truck had been used in a criminal act, and therefore the damages weren’t covered.
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Patty had argued that he and his family lived through extreme emotional distress after fears that the cartel would come after them for some perception they had been complicit with police.He also said that losing the truck for nearly 90 days after it had been damaged nearly crippled his business, which only had two trucks at the time.
So not only did the feds refuse to compensate him after they destroyed his property, but his insurance refused to cover the damage because it was involved in a criminal act.
Goes to show, when it comes to helping the government, no good deed goes unpunished!
