Food truck co-owner says stealing charge part of a misunderstanding

The co-owner of a food truck said charges from the city prosecutor against his business are part of a misunderstanding.

The city charged The Big Cheeze on March 7 with stealing and violating parking rules related to mobile food vendors. Its co-owner, Tim Mallory, appeared in court Wednesday on the charges.

The complaint filed said the business took a cloth meter bag, which food trucks need to rent in order to operate downtown, without paying for it in February of this year. The complaint also accuses The Big Cheeze of operating in the 900 block of Walnut Street without first renting a bag.

Mallory told ABC 17 News that a misunderstanding between he and a city worker led to the charges. Mallory said someone stole a bag he rented two years ago, and returned it sometime in late February while he was setting up shop on Walnut Street. Mallory said he had already rented a different bag for the day, but used the newly returned bag to briefly hold his downtown parking spot.

A city worker came by at that time, Mallory said, and asked about the cloth bag. Mallory said he returned that bag at that time, but received a summons for stealing two weeks later.

City prosecutor Robert Rinck said he could not comment on the case.

Food trucks can rent two types of bags from Columbia Public Works before selling downtown. Plastic bags reserve one or two spots for a day, while cloth bags are good for a month. One-day rentals cost $10 or $20, depending on the number of sports, while monthly rentals cost $100 or $200.

The maximum fine for stealing in the city is $2,000.

Mallory said he hoped he could work with the city to resolve the court issue.

City rules allow food trucks to only sell in one or two of 26 downtown parking spots. Those are located in the 600 block of Cherry Street, the 900 block of Locust Street and the 900 block of Walnut Street.