Ark. Agency Owner Busted – 58 Felony, 89 Misd. Charges

PARAGOULD, Ark. (KAIT) – The owner of a Paragould towing company is facing multiple felony charges tied to what investigators described as a large-scale fraud scheme involving dozens of illegal vehicle repossessions and title forgeries.

Greene County District Court Judge Curtis Hitt found probable cause Wednesday to charge Heather Patterson, 45, with:

• 30 counts of second-degree forgery, a Class C felony
• 27 counts of false evidence of title or registration, a Class U felony
• 1 count of theft of property, a Class B felony
• 89 counts of falsifying a business record, a Class A misdemeanor

A victim told Paragould police in May that Patterson, who owns Prestige Towing, came to her home on East Lake Street to repossess her vehicle. Believing the repossession was legitimate, Paragould police Cpl. Johnathon Porter said the woman willingly gave Patterson the keys.

The victim told officers she later saw her vehicle in the company’s tow yard, but later saw it posted on Facebook in someone else’s possession, according to the affidavit.

Porter said officers spoke with the victim’s lien company, which confirmed a repossession order had not been issued for the victim’s vehicle.

Detectives then contacted the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, which provided paperwork Patterson submitted regarding the victim’s vehicle.

“The paperwork received by the DFA included a tow slip from Prestige Towing, signed by the defendant, that stated the vehicle was abandoned and was a water recovery,” Porter said.

Porter said the victim’s vehicle identification number (VIN) on the paperwork was also incorrect, which allowed the vehicle to be registered to another individual under a false VIN.

Investigators then obtained a search warrant for Patterson’s home, where they seized a large quantity of Prestige Towing paperwork.

“In the paperwork, there were 89 separate incidents where the defendant filled out a tow slip and a notice that the individual’s vehicles were towed at the request of Greene County Dispatch,” Porter said. “Prestige Towing has not been on rotation for all of Greene County since Jan. 30, 2023, and no records exist within dispatch’s reporting software.”

According to the affidavit, the DFA reviewed paperwork filed by Patterson and found she forged documents and submitted false evidence related to 27 motor vehicle titles and registrations. The paperwork again listed Greene County Central Dispatch as the requesting party, but court documents said tow logs did not support that claim.

During a Mirandized interview, Patterson reportedly said the incorrect VIN submitted to the state “must have been a mistake.” Porter noted the VIN was correct when listed in required newspaper legal notices.

In a separate incident, Patterson is accused of charging $100 to provide a temporary license plate and a signed bill of sale for a motorcycle that was later confirmed to be stolen.

Patterson is being held in the Greene County Detention Center on a $100,000 bond while awaiting her next court appearance.