Deputies located the vehicle and detained the driver identified as 33-year-old Mogan A. Jewell. (Spokane County Sheriff’s Office)
Spokane, Wash.
Authorities say a woman was arrested after they recovered a stolen rental vehicle that was overdue by more than a month.
According to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were alerted Thursday to an automated license plate reader that picked up on a reported stolen Dodge Durango with Florida license plates.
The sheriff’s office said it located the vehicle and detained the driver, 33-year-old Mogan A. Jewell, after confirming the license plate on the vehicle.
Authorities said Jewell had originally rented the SUV in Dallas on Oct. 20 for just a day. But she told them that she “became too busy to return it” and ended up driving to Spokane.
Jewell claimed that her attempts to contact the rental company to extend her rental agreement were unsuccessful. However, she did tell authorities that she received a message from the rental company warning her it would be reported as stolen if she failed to return it.
The sheriff’s office said the rental company is pressing charges because Jewell had not returned the Durango as required in the rental agreement.
Jewell was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Jail for possession of a stolen motor vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.
Deputies towed the vehicle to ensure its safety until the rental agency could arrange to pick it up.