Hilton Head continues debating tow-truck regulations

Hilton Head Island officials resumed debate today on adopting tow-truck regulations similar to ones approved in June by Beaufort County.

Members of the Public Safety Committee were waiting for the county to approve the ordinance before considering town rules about towing vehicles from private property.

Stricter control of towing companies was proposed after a 2010 Christmas Eve shooting near Bluffton, in which tow-truck driver Preston Oates is accused of killing Carlos Alberto Olivera, 34, during an argument over a wheel boot Oates had placed on Olivera's minivan.

The new rules made those boots illegal, but only in unincorporated Beaufort County. The ordinance also would cap some fees on towing services.