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Uber driver Elijah Mills, inset, was arrested in a stolen rental. His passengers — from the United Kingdom in town for their wedding — were given a free ride by deputies who also took a selfie with them (Polk County Sheriff’s Office)
A Florida Uber driver in a stolen rental SUV who was forced to pull over on a Florida highway with his passengers inside allegedly told deputies he kept the vehicle running for three weeks straight to avoid payments and didn’t answer the rental company’s calls.
Elijah Mills was arrested on charges of grand theft of motor vehicle and driving while his license was suspended or revoked, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, where they couldn’t help but make light of the circumstances.
“27-year-old Elijah Mills from Maitland is an Uber driver, but we wouldn’t recommend him to anyone,” the Facebook post said in typical Polk County Sheriff’s Office fashion.
Mills was arrested on Tuesday night at 9:37 p.m. while traveling in a Chevrolet Equinox on U.S. 27 in the Four Corners area of Davenport. Deputies got behind the vehicle, boxed it in and forced it to stop, authorities said.
Mills had been renting the vehicle from a company in Orange County. When he stopped making payments, the rental company reported it stolen, authorities said.
Mills told deputies the rental company called him daily, but he didn’t answer because “he knew they would ask him about the payments,” officials said. Mills also told deputies the rental company equips their vehicles with a device that keeps them from restarting if people stop making payments, the sheriff’s office said.
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“So, Elijah had kept the Chevy Equinox running … for three straight weeks!” officials said in their news release.
As for the passengers — Marc and Rhiannon — they got a happy photo with the deputies and a free ride to where they were staying.
“The deputies also gave Elijah a free ride, but it was to the Polk Pokey,” authorities added.
Mills also did not have a valid driver’s license, they added.
He’s set for his arraignment on Nov. 28, online court records show.
His public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Law&Crime.
In a statement, Uber said, “The details of this report are very troubling, and we’ve reached out to the rider about their experience. We have removed the driver’s access to the Uber platform and are continuing to investigate.”
