Wrecker driver arrested for towing woman's SUV

Heated exchange leads to assault charge

GALVESTON, Texas – A tow truck driver was arrested and taken to jail after attempting to tow a woman's SUV who was parked illegally near the seawall and 28th Street in Galveston on July Fourth.

The woman, driving a light blue Lexus, parked in a private lot while she unloaded her beach gear.

A man who was with the woman told Local 2 they were only parked for a few minutes, and they chose the lot because there was no available parking along the seawall.

"We thought we were doing the right thing," said Charlie Baldwin.

The woman was so upset that her vehicle was about to be towed she climbed onto the back of the tow trailer and got inside her SUV.

Local 2 cameras where there and recorded the incident. You could hear her yelling expletives at the tow truck driver who slammed the door on her.

"I never touched the woman," said Noel Anderwald, Jr. "I actually closed the door between me and her because she was so much into yelling and had already scratched my hand. I wanted a distance between us."

Galveston police arrested Anderwald and charged him with assault by contact. It's a class C misdemeanor. He said he spent five hours behind bars and had to pay $500 bond.

"I just didn't believe I was going to jail," Anderwald said. "I was the one who called the police to keep this from becoming this type of incident."

Galveston police told Local 2 the woman wanted to pursue assault charges against Anderwald.

Even though he was arrested, the woman's SUV was still towed. It cost $291.65 to get it released.

Anderwald is hoping to get the charges against him dropped.