FERRIDAY &045; A Ferriday police officer followed proper procedure Monday night when he swapped wreckers at the scene of an accident, chief Robert Davis said.

The driver of an 18-wheeler, on recommendation from a local woman, called Curtis’ Wrecker Service to get his trailer out of a ditch on U.S. 84.

The first police officer on the scene, Willie Robinson, called Barlow’s Wrecker Service to do the same job.

Some three hours later, Barlow’s had the truck free and Curtis Nelson, who owns Curtis’ Wrecker, and Wanda Ann Baker Smith were on their way to jail.

Davis said his officer arrived to find an abandoned vehicle, prompting him to follow protocol, the first step of which is to call Barlow.

&8221;When the officer arrives, he’s in charge,&8220; Davis said. &8221;He had a road hazard. He didn’t see anyone, so he calls for a wrecker.

&8221;He’d taken over the scene. Automatically, Barlow gets the tow.&8220;

Lamont Lewis, the driver of the truck, said if Robinson had looked 25 feet away, he would have seen Smith and Lewis, talking in the Taunton’s parking lot.

Smith said Robinson didn’t get out of the car until Curtis, who had to go back to his shop to get a bigger wrecker, had returned and begun to prepare to work.

&8221;Robinson said, &8216;If you hitch up, you’re going to be arrested,’&8220; Smith said.

Nelson did and was. Smith was arrested soon after for resisting an officer.

&8221;Another young lady (Smith) had hired the wrecker for (Lewis),&8220; Davis said. &8221;That’s illegal.&8220;

The state attorney general’s office did not return a message seeking comment.

Smith said a state trooper was on the scene later but did not get involved in the dispute.

Nelson chose not to comment.

Lewis said he was perplexed by the event. He said he had been towed before but had never seen anyone go to jail over determining who gets to do the work.

&8221;(Robinson) said it was inside the city limits, and anytime inside the city limits, that’s an accident,&8220; Lewis said.

&8221;But we never filled out an accident report. Then he wrote me a ticket.&8220;

Lewis is also responsible for repaying his company, Volume Transportation, the nearly $700 towing fee Barlow charged.

Lewis said Curtis told him the job, &8221;wouldn’t cost very much.&8220; Smith said she heard Curtis quote $250 to Lewis.

Davis said all this could have been prevented.

&8221;If the guy was on scene when the officer got there, and if he had requested, whomever he had requested, that’s who he would have gotten,&8220; Davis said.