Cops: She Stole Car for Stripper Interview, Hoped for Impunity

Kasia Shelton reportedly thought her arrest was a 'joke' as the vehicle was recovered
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 12, 2023 12:37 PM CDT
Cops: She Stole Car for Stripper Interview, Hoped for Impunity
This Oct. 5, 2012, file photo, shows a Kia optima's steering wheel inside of a Kia car dealership in Elmhurst, Ill.   (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

An Indiana woman seemed to think she did nothing wrong despite stealing a car in order to travel to an interview for a stripper job, police say. Confronted by police, Kasia Shelton, 20, "acted like this whole thing was a joke" and "did not understand what she was going to be arrested for," according to the Muncie Police Department. Police received a call about the theft of a 2013 Kia Optima from a Muncie dealership on Monday, WTTV reports. An employee claimed they were preparing to arrange for Shelton to take a test drive but were distracted as the dealership kept getting phone calls, though no one seemed to be on the other end of the line.

The employee reportedly told Shelton to wait while they went to answer yet another phone call. That's when Shelton allegedly drove off in the Kia, per the Messenger. Cameras showed the vehicle—easily traced to Shelton, who'd filled out a form on the dealership's website—traveling south toward Indianapolis and later returning to Muncie, according to police. When officers showed up at Shelton's home, the woman initially lied about who she was, police say. She later admitted to stealing the car and driving some 60 miles to Indianapolis to interview for a job as an exotic dancer but claimed it wasn't a big deal because she "returned" the vehicle to the dealership afterward, according to court documents.

The documents indicate Shelton actually left the vehicle, with the keys inside, in a parking lot next door to the RDI Motors dealership. However, an RDI Motors employee said the vehicle was ultimately recovered in Anderson, about 20 miles from Muncie. Shelton reportedly told police she didn't know what happened to the vehicle after she left it but that she'd seen it "on some 'b----'s' Snapchat." She was arrested on felony charges of auto theft and identity deception and faces up to 2.5 years in prison if convicted. Police have not said who they believe was placing the calls to the dealership. (More theft stories.)

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