According to KHOU, a Texas truck driver and homeowner received a $200,000 fine for parking his truck at his Oak Forest, Texas home.
Gashette put in an extra-wide drive way, big enough to accommodate his truck, so that his truck wasn’t parked on the street.
“I don’t like it on the street for fear of other people’s safety. It’s a big black truck. Somebody could run into it at night,” he said.
Darell Gashette says that since 1999, he has parked his truck in his driveway, and all was well until approximately a year ago when new neighbors moved into the neighborhood.
“This was the first letter they sent me that said I was in violation of deed restrictions,” Gashette told KHOU.
The deed restrictions were written so long ago that one neighborhood bylaw states, “none of the lots shown shall be used, owned or occupied by any person other than the Caucasian race.”
Just recently the deed was updated. It now states, “A Prohibited Yard Parking Area (Section 28-303 of the Code of Ordinances) for ALL sections of Oak Forest have been approved by Houston City Council. This ordinance prohibits the parking of a vehicle or equipment within the front or side yard on any unimproved surface. Violating this Ordinance by having a car parked in the front or side yard is a misdemeanor, enforced by HPD, and violators will receive a fine not to exceed $150.00 per day.”
That’s when Gashette was slapped with a large fine.
“Two hundred and two thousand dollars. They wanted a thousand dollars a day for every day since the complaint was filed,” Gashette said. “I’m on the road. I’m a truck driver. I probably wasn’t home 200 days last year.”
Gashette challenged the fine and the court waived the fee, but Gashette will not be allowed to park in his driveway any longer.
“Ironically he says he was told he can legally park on the street, and that’s what he plans to do,” KHOU reported.
Gashette isn’t fully off the hook, he still has to pay $8,000 in court costs and attorneys fees.
To read the deed restrictions, follow this link.