POLK COUNTY, Fla. – An Uber Eats food pickup at an IHOP in Winter Haven turned into a grand theft investigation on July 4, resulting in the arrest of a Fort Meade man by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
According to agency reports, an Uber Eats driver arrived at the IHOP restaurant near Lake Ina at approximately 10:30 p.m. to collect an order. The driver was operating a 2003 Chevy Tahoe that suffered from a known ignition malfunction. Because of the mechanical defect, the driver left the vehicle running and stepped into the restaurant to retrieve the food.
While the driver was inside, a man wearing jeans, a blue-and-gray baseball cap, and a t-shirt featuring profane language drove away in the unattended Tahoe…