Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Courtenay Genette Thomas, 40, was arrested yesterday and charged with theft of a motor vehicle and dealing in stolen property after she allegedly arranged with an Ocala towing company to tow a car that was parked at a Gainesville hotel but did not belong to her.
On the morning of May 15, the victim, who was staying at the Extended Stay America (3600 SW 42nd Avenue) saw his 2004 Mercedes in the parking lot as he was leaving the hotel; when he returned about two hours later, the car was gone. The victim told the responding Gainesville Police Department (GPD) officer that the car had a flat tire, and while he was waiting on parts to fix it, he had removed the battery “due to it being a high crime area.”
The victim said he checked with the front desk, and the employee reportedly said that the car was towed by an unknown company and that the hotel had not requested the tow.
An officer reportedly contacted the general manager of the hotel, who said that a woman had called the hotel that morning and asked if her Mercedes was in the parking lot. An employee went outside and told the woman that the car was in the parking lot; she said she was going to have it towed. A short time later, the general manager saw the car being towed out of the parking lot but did not remember which company towed it. There was reportedly no video surveillance in the area.