The auctioneer sounded off words in a melodic way: “$16,000, now 17,
now 17, will you give me 18?” And with that, owning a big rig or a
police car with shattered windows — broken glass included —
became possible.
Last week, Roebuck Auctions sold used Shelby County vehicles and
items seized by the West Tennessee Drug Task Force.
“It’s a fairly good turnout,” said David McGriff, director of the
West Tennessee Drug Task Force.
Around 9 a.m., cars began to line the roads near Jail East for
registration. As the auction began, mothers with young children and
older men in overalls followed the auctioneer from item to item. Other
bidders sat on the lawn near the things they wanted: buses, tractor
trailers, police cars, and motorhomes.
“There’s more than cars,” McGriff said. “Ninety-nine percent of what
we’ll sell has been property seized and awarded by the court.”
Most of the vehicles seized by drug task force agents were used to
transport illegal drugs. Revenue from the seized property will benefit
the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, whereas money from the sale of
county vehicles will go to the county’s general fund.
Truck driver Darrell Thurman took advantage of some big-ticket
items.
“So far today I’ve only won this trailer,” he said. “I got it for
$3,250. It normally costs $5,000.”
With the win of the trailer under his belt, Thurman’s eyes moved
toward the motorcycles.
“I’d like one of those Harleys,” he said. “But I’ll probably finish
[the day] with a little generator.”
With the day winding down, Lorry Anderton of Collierville and her
husband made their way to the auction looking for a good deal on a
motor home.
“We go to about every one of [the auctions],” she said. “We
purchased one of our cars from an auction.”
They still were pleased with the purchase, but Anderton said there
were obvious signs of the vehicle’s previous life.
“You can see where they removed the panels looking for something,”
she said. “I’m not sure what they found.”
