A 39-year-old Summerfield woman was arrested by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office after she was accused of stealing a car that was parked outside a local convenience store.
On Monday, an MCSO corporal responded to the Quick King located at 13491 SE Highway 484 in Belleview in reference to the theft of a BMW car. Upon arrival at the intersection of SE 47th Avenue and Highway 484, the corporal observed two people standing near the stolen vehicle – the female victim and a woman identified as Andrea Michelle Butler, according to the MCSO report.
After detaining Butler in the back of a patrol car, the corporal made contact with the victim who advised that another woman had been seen driving the stolen vehicle. The corporal located this second woman inside the convenience store and detained her in handcuffs.
The victim told the corporal that at around 4 p.m., she had arrived at the convenience store to purchase a lottery ticket. She advised that she left her car running with the doors unlocked, and she entered the store to purchase the ticket, according to the MCSO report.
When the victim exited the convenience store, she advised that a woman stole her car, and the victim immediately contacted law enforcement. The corporal noted that while the victim was waiting for officers to arrive on scene, she observed a female driver and a passenger, identified as Butler, traveling past the store in the stolen vehicle.
According to the victim’s statement in the report, her husband quickly arrived on scene and positioned his vehicle in front of the stolen car to stop it. The female driver then exited the stolen vehicle and walked into the convenience store, and Butler exited from the passenger side and stood behind the vehicle with the victim.
The corporal noted that the convenience store’s video surveillance footage from the time of the theft showed Butler approaching the victim’s car, entering it through the driver’s side door, and driving away from the store. The corporal observed that Butler was the only person who entered the vehicle on the footage.
The corporal returned to the woman who had been observed with Butler in the victim’s car. The woman told the corporal that Butler had arrived at her residence in the vehicle, and she had asked Butler to take her to a local dollar store, according to the MCSO report.
The woman further stated that Butler made her drive the car because she has a valid driver’s license. The corporal noted that the woman claimed to be unaware that the car was stolen, and she claimed that Butler had told her the vehicle was “brand-new.”
The corporal made contact with Butler and conducted a post-Miranda interview. Butler admitted that she took the victim’s car, though she claimed that she was given permission to take it. In the report, the corporal noted that the victim does not know Butler or the woman that was with her in the vehicle.
Butler was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $10,000 bond. She is facing a felony charge for grand theft of a motor vehicle.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.