Ride-sharing companies are convenient ways for people to move about town. However, a Tennessee woman is accused of taking that freedom of mobility a little too far in a west-central Florida city.
According to an arrest report, Kate Bailey Francis Lamothe, 24, of Chattanooga, was charged with retail theft. She is accused of stealing a $42.79 vaping device from a gas station Tuesday night and then trying to persuade her Lyft driver to aid in her getaway, WFLA reported.
Police said Lamothe entered an Exxon station in Pinellas Park to buy a Juul electronic cigarette, the television station reported. After the clerk handed her the vaping device, Lamothe ran from the store, deputies said.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Lamothe tried to get her Lyft driver to leave the gas station, WFLA reported. When the driver refused, Lamothe then called an Uber driver and walked away from the gas station, according to the arrest report.
Lamothe was later found by police in an Uber van in a nearby parking lot, WFLA reported.
Deputies said Lamothe admitted to taking the e-cigarette, the television station reported. She was booked into the Pinellas County Jail early Wednesday and posted a $150 bond Wednesday night, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Cox Media Group
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