No Limit Towing owner faces 16 felony indictments for stealing vehicles

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - About 15 to 20 Richmond Police Officers swarmed a towing company Friday after a months-long investigation by police revealed the owner stole numerous vehicles.

Detectives raided the business and seized boxes of records and other evidence while executing a search warrant Friday morning.

Sherral Crawley, the owner of No Limit Towing LLC, faces 16 felony indictments for grand larceny tied to motor vehicle theft.

Richmond police say this all started after detectives started looking into complaints about illegal towing practices but say their investigation revealed Crawley was running a much more malicious scheme.

12 On Your Side sat down with the lead detective on the case, Sgt. Nicholas Castrinos.

He says what started as police digging into claims of potential towing fraud quickly became a much bigger story.

“Most of these citizens for the illegal fees started to come forward after the new story,” Castrinos said.

That news story aired back in March by On Your Side Investigators after several alleged victims called and emailed NBC12 reporters asking for help when their cars were towed, and they were unable to get them back.

Sgt. Castrinos says after the story aired, RPD received thousands of tips.

“Once we started getting in contact with those owners, it became pretty evident that there was a pattern of fraud and kind of malicious abuse here, where this company would take motor vehicles from citizens and deprive them permanently of those motor vehicles for their own monetary benefit,” Castrinos said.

He says No Limit Towing had not only been engaging in malicious, illegal towing practices but Crawley had actually stolen several vehicles.

“The victims for this really were devastated by this theft of their really the most primary possession. Most of these vehicles were older vehicles, and for most of these victims, it was their main mode of transportation,” Castrinos said.

One of those alleged victims is Dorien Dyson.

He says his car was towed from his apartment complex in Petersburg even though he had a parking pass and property management had ended their contract with No Limit Towing.

“Technically, they towed my car after the contract ended, which I do have documentation to prove that,” Dyson said.

Dyson says even after bringing this evidence forward to No Limit Towing, they wouldn’t give his car back unless he paid Sherral Crawley upwards of $900 in cash.

“Basically, it was them not wanting to give me my car unless I paid, and it was a back of back and forth that lasted over 2 or 3 months,” he said.

Dyson took Crawley to court over the matter.

“She didn’t show up to court at all, I won my case, but I still haven’t gotten a dime,” Dyson said.

Dyson says he never saw his car or his belongings inside his car ever again.

Just hours after this investigation became public, Crawley reached out to 12 On Your Side, saying all allegations against her are false. She also said she was unaware police were looking for her.

At this time, she is considered a fugitive, and the police still do not have her in custody.

“We’re in negotiations with friends and family, so we anticipate, we hope she will surrender,” Chief Rick Edwards said during a press conference Friday.

Detective Castrinos says they still have documentation for 70 vehicles that may have potentially been stolen, so more alleged victims may still be out there, and this investigation will likely span beyond Richmond city limits.

On Your Side Investigator Jasmine Turner broke down some of the search warrants for No Limit Towing below:

Sgt. Castrinos is urging people to reach out to Richmond Police if they think they may be a victim of towing fraud or towing theft at the hands of No Limit Towing or any other company.

“Locating victims for this crime has been extremely difficult for us,” he said. “This happened during a period where registering vehicles was difficult during COVID. So we need victims also to reach out if you haven’t spoken to a local Richmond police detective.”

Sgt. Castrinos says a towing fraud case will likely go forward in the near future, which will be separate from the grand larceny indictments.

He says this is “probably one of the most complex cases I’ve had to work.”

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