When Dave DeBoer paid $10 for a parking space Saturday, he expected to find his pickup in the lot when he returned from the Cornhusker football game.

But when he got back to the parking lot near 11th and L streets that night, his wheels were nowhere in sight.

"We went to the game only to come out afterwards to no vehicle," DeBoer said in an e-mail.

Now he's on the hook for a $120 towing charge and a $10 parking space that turned out to be a black hole for his Ford F-250.

He also has a warning for fellow gameday parkers: parker beware.

A manager at the business that owns the lot says DeBoer and at least two of his fellow parkers didn't follow the fine print.

The spaces they parked in were available only until 10 p.m., when the business closes, but DeBoer and the others didn't try to pick up their vehicles until about 11:30 p.m., said Juan Briseno, a manager at La Tapatia.

DeBoer said no one who parked in the lot was told to leave by 10 p.m.

Lincoln police say it's a private dispute that won't involve them.

Capt. David Beggs said an officer took a report, but determined it was a civil matter.

DeBoer said he and the others will pursue the case further.

He paid the towing company, Wiestar Towing, and got his car back. He got home to Sioux Falls, S.D. about 5 a.m. Sunday, he said.

He said he's been to plenty of athletic events, including football games, in Lincoln. But Saturday's events were unusual, he said.

"It's the first time stuff like this has ever happened."

Reach Zach Pluhacek at 473-7234 or zpluhacek@journalstar.com.