Police say repossession employee thrown from hood of car after driver sped off

The Post and Courier

Originally published 12:00 a.m., July 23, 2010
Updated 10:05 a.m., July 23, 2010

SUMMERVILLE -- Vincent Sclafani was caught in a position any repo man dreads: The 32-year-old father of two stood in front of a car he was trying to tow with an upset person behind the wheel, unwilling to give it up.

The driver hit the gas, police said, striking Sclafani with the front end of the 2004 Chevy Malibu in the parking lot of the Timber Lane Town Homes early Wednesday, according to an incident report.

When he didn't move out of the way quickly enough, the driver hit the gas again, this time catapulting Sclafani onto the hood, forcing him to hold on as the car sped off, then made a hard turn down the road, the report said.

Dorchester County sheriff's deputies found Sclafani minutes later, lying in the road, struggling to talk or remember where he was. He remained in intensive care at Medical University Hospital Thursday in critical condition.

Deputies arrested and charged Jaunima Taniqua Porter, 32, of Summerville, with attempted murder. Her bond was set at $500,000.

The incident appeared to be something right off the TV screen, which worries folks in the repossession business who said two TV shows about their craft, one of which isn't even real, has created a combative atmosphere in recent years that is putting their employees in danger.

Dan Wiggins, Sclafani's employer at Coastal Recovery Services, said people see shows like the scripted "Operation Repo" and the reality show "Repo Men" and think repo men go around carrying baseball bats, attacking and holding people down as they take their cars.

Wiggins said these incidents occur because of "a perceived notion that the repo man is (the) enemy."

In actuality, his employees don't carry weapons because they don't want to escalate the situation, Wiggins said. Their goal is to get in and out as quickly and peacefully as possible, he said, which is why they have equipment that can load a vehicle in as little as 30 seconds.

"Honestly, I don't know of anyone who wants to create a confrontation," he said.

If confronted, Wiggins said, any reputable repo man will identify himself, show the repossession order either on paper or on a computer, and talk to the person whose vehicle is being taken in a kind and respectful way, knowing that they are going through a hard time.

If they can open a dialogue, more often than not the situation will go smoothly, Wiggins said.

In June of last year, a repo man was shot in the face and back with birdshot near Ridgeville.

Wiggins said people have no reason to be surprised when a repo man shows up. The state requires car owners to be notified in writing several times before repo men enter the picture.

"They know somebody is coming," he said.

It's also commonly thought that once a vehicle is repossessed, the owner can't get it back, Wiggins said.

"What a lot of people are forgetting is that when a vehicle is repossessed, it is not the final answer," he said. "You have 10 days to get that vehicle back."

Wiggins acknowledged that part of their image problem is created by a small number of local repo men who may not be licensed or have the proper insurance.

While some in the repo business were disappointed that legislation died this year that would have brought more regulation to the industry, Wiggins said businesses should hold themselves accountable, just like in any other industry.

"There's always a perception that the repo guy is a bad guy," Wiggins said. "Well guys, I'm not a bad guy. I'm a happily married father of four. Vinnie is a father of two. Honest to God, when the repo man shows up at your door, he's not your enemy."

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