An Ocoee woman was arrested in a stolen RV after it broke down on the side of the road with a bypassed ignition.
A deputy responded to a homeowner on Emerald Avenue in Leesburg, describing a broken-down RV on the dirt road around 6:20 a.m. Sunday, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Upon arrival, he found 34-year-old Stephanie Michelle Fels alongside her friend and the homeowner.
Fels stated she met her friend at Lake Yale Baptist Conference Center at 11 p.m. the night before. Her friend offered her $150 to drive the motor home six miles down the road to Black Horse Ranch in Marion County, the report said.
The attached tag to the motor home was a dealer tag that came back without any records. A check of the VIN got a hit as an unconfirmed stolen vehicle out of Marion County. Fels claimed she did not know the RV had been stolen, the report said.
However, the ignition mechanism on the vehicle was bypassed, and the wheel lock was tempered. A search revealed a flathead screwdriver next to the ignition on the driver’s side of the floorboard, the report said.
Fels was arrested on charge of grand theft auto and booked at Lake County Jail. The Michigan native was released after posting $5,000 bond.