PUC hearing centers on dispute over SWFT Towing's handling of a Buick Enclave; staff alleges failure to release after payment

An evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission examined staff's claim that SWFT Towing LLC violated PUC towing rules when it failed to release a 2017 Buick Enclave after payment and supplied inconsistent records about the tow.

Investigator Erin Hazlett, a criminal investigator with the PUC, testified that the commission's case rests on documentary records and interviews. She said staff received a complaint from Shaneen Courts of Midnight Recovery, who sent a driver to SWFT on July 14, 2025, and "paid with a check, received an invoice, but did not pick up that vehicle at the time." Hazlett added that the invoice shows a $1,883.36 charge with a check payment applied on 07/14/2025 and a line on the invoice indicating release on 07/14/2025 at 10:36 a.m., yet the driver told Midnight Recovery the car was not released then.

Hazlett also introduced a Colorado Springs Police Department CAD report and a SWFT impound summary indicating the tow was reported as a private-property impound on 06/18/2025. "The item was refused, at the addressee's address on…