Viper Bite Towing and Recovery and its operators, 38-year-old Ronnie Mansker of Willard and 50-year-old Jerry Klekamp of Bolivar, were charged Friday with stealing by deceit and peace disturbance.

Authorities say company representatives told owners of vehicles with expired tags at least three times that they needed to pay a $150 fee in order to avoid their car being towed.

Greene County Prosecutor Dan Patterson says there isn’t such a rule for expired license plates or state inspections.

Klekamp told the Springfield News-Leader (http://sgfnow.co/1TZkUt4) that he believes the company’s actions complied with city code, and that they were standard practice for the industry locally.

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Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com.