A Utah repo man sent to tow away a family's car wound up chasing a woman who fled in the car until she slammed into a tree early Tuesday, police said.
Ashleigh Holloway Best, 35, died in the crash after Kenneth Drew chased her Lincoln Navigator in his tow truck at speeds of up to 70 mph, according to the Pleasant Grove Police Department. Drew, 49, faces charges of manslaughter resulting in death in the 10 to 12-block pursuit in the town near Provo.
"I've never, in my 15 years of law enforcement, I've never seen a repo agent be this aggressive. I've never seen anything like it," Pleasant Grove police Lt. Britt Smith told the Deseret News. "The end doesn't justify the means."
Drew's truck hit the Navigator, causing it to go careening off the road, over a sidewalk and into the tree on N. 100 East, police said. He had shown up at Best's home on Cherryhill Dr. just after midnight to repossess the SUV but Best sped away in it following an argument outside the home, according to cops.
Brian Edwards, Drew's employer and the owner of On Demand Repos, said in an email that Drew told him he pulled over as soon as Best began going fast in her car.
"I believe Mr Drew's story that he told me. He was the first one to call 911, the next phone call was to me. It has been confirmed. And the story lines directly up with the wrong theory by the police," Edwards said. "All drivers are on salary. They do not get paid or not paid if they do or don't get vehicles. They will get their check each and every payday. Mr. Drew would not intentionally hurt any human being. Our company has policies in place."
Yet Best's family is having a hard time understanding the death of the mother of three, her sister-in-law Buffee Best told KSTU-TV.
"That's what we've been saying all day is it was just a stupid car. A life for a stupid car," Best said. "It's just unbelievably hard."
The victim and her husband had recently moved their family from Florida to be closer to his parents, Best wrote on a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses. The page had raised over $3,500 on Wednesday night.
"Her husband lost his best friend, his lover, his soulmate and his reason for existing," Best wrote on the page. "Her three children lost their beautiful devoted mother. Her mother lost her only daughter and very best friend. Her brother lost his twin. Our families lost a piece of our souls."
http://mydeathspace.com/article/2016...ade_a_repo_man