A Nebraska man convicted last year of receiving illegal drugs through the mail plans to sue the state and local governments over hail damage to his impounded vehicle
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska man convicted last year of receiving illegal drugs through the mail plans to sue the state and local governments over hail damage to his impounded vehicle.
Andrew Vanderveen, 22, of Scottsbluff, was sentence in November to three years' probation. He and his 20-year-old girlfriend were convicted of receiving LSD and other drugs through the U.S. Postal Service.
Following his arrest last spring, Vanderveen's vehicle was impounded by police.
The vehicle was stored at an impound lot owned by the city of Gering. On June 19, a severe hailstorm hit the area, including the impound lot.
Vanderveen has filed a tort claim with the city of Scottsbluff, saying his vehicle suffered more than $7,000 in hail damage, the Scottsbluff Star-Herald reported (http://bit.ly/ZpEupR) Saturday.
Vanderveen's claim indicates he plans to sue Scottsbluff, the neighboring city of Gering, Scotts Bluff County, the state of Nebraska and the local drug task force that arrested him.
"The defendants failed to exercise due care to protect the plaintiff's property by taking reasonable stops to store the same inside and out of the elements," Vanderveen said in the complaint.
The tort claim, filed by Gering attorney Sterling Huff, seeks unspecified damages for the vehicle, relief for past, present and future damages, loss of use and enjoyment of his vehicle and permanent disfigurement, as well as other fees.
The city of Scottsbluff will formally receive the claim during a meeting of the Scottsbluff City Council on Monday.
Those named in the claim have six months to respond to it. If they don't, Vanderveen is allowed under state law to sue.
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Information from: Star-Herald, http://www.starherald.com
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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