False Dui Arrest.. Is There A Way To Get My Vehicle Back Without Paying What They're Asking For?

I'm a black female, mid-30s. No criminal record. No prior DUIs. I've lived in this same area of Pennsylvania for years and have a clean driving record.

My passenger side headlight went out 2 days ago, so I've been using my high beams when needed. The officer claimed I was driving with "no lights on at all", which is not true. I would never have been able to see the road if that were the case. Anyways, he starts asking me questions about my whereabouts. Another cop car pulls up. They start talking. That officer comes to my window and says he'll be "assisting" the other officer. So now I'm circled by two cop cars, in the middle of a busy gas station and people are watching. It's embarrassing.

The first officer comes back to my window and says "so here's the reason I pulled you over, we received a call from someone who reported that you were swerving. They were following you for 5 miles and saw you driving slow and swerving". It all sounded like something he just made up. He then asks me to step out of the car and do some field sobriety tests.

I don't know any of my state's DUI laws/processes -- because I don't drive while intoxicated -- so I didn't know that I could decline doing the tests. So I stood there for 10 minutes doing all those stupid balancing and eye tracking tests. This is northeast PA and its freezing cold and windy over here. I didn't have my jacket with me, I just had a cardigan on. I was literally shivering and couldn't balance on one foot for long. I did the breathalyzer, it read 0.00.

According to the officer, I failed all the field tests. He said there were indicators of me being on an illegal substance -- some kind of a downer. He wouldn't tell me what those indicators were. My family has a history of mental health issues and I've been dealing with anxiety/OCD for a while. I don't take any medication for it. Maybe I came across as a little paranoid or "off" emotionally because of that, but an anxiety disorder is not a criminal offense. I also have kinda a monotone/flat tone of voice. I'm guessing he thinks I was smoking weed? Idk. But God as my witness, I was not on any drugs. I'm sure they've searched through my car by this point.. and found nothing.

We go to the prison, I do a blood test. The results won't be in for a month. I was released and not held overnight. The officer drove me close enough to my home but I had to walk 15 more minutes in the freezing cold. I called the towing company that night and asked how much it costs to get my car back. They said they didn't know. I called back again in the morning and they then told me its "$994. Plus $85 for each additional day."

Isn't that excessively high? Do the police just choose some arbitrary fee at their own discretion?

I checked on maps, it's only 1.3 miles between where I was stopped and the towing place. It's also $85 to pick up my belongings. I asked can they at least verify that my car is locked and the windows are up so the snow and any animals don't get in? They won't do that either.

I work in retail. My hours are cut now that the holidays are over. I simply don't have the $1085+ to get my car -- the car I need for going to work in the first place. This is the 2nd day I've had to call out. I probably can't work for the rest of the week.

How is it legal for them to just take my car away with no proof of any wrongdoing?

If I don't pay the amount, which keeps increasing, then my car will be auctioned off. Are there no provisions to that happening based on whether or not I was ACTUALLY intoxicated?