A young woman stole a Kia from an Indiana car dealership on Oct. 9 and drove it to an interview for an exotic dancer job, according to court documents.
The 20-year-old suspect, Kasia Shelton, “acted like this whole thing was a joke” and reportedly failed to comprehend why she was arrested, the documents read, according to Fox 59. Shelton is accused of stealing a 2013 Kia Optima from RDI Motors in Muncie, Indiana, after requesting to take it for a test drive.
The Kia Optima really is the least exotic car I can think of, however.
“Muncie woman steals car from dealership to drive to exotic dancer interview in Indianapolis, court docs reveal” https://t.co/ja2NWzK6Ip
— Darrin Snider (@Indypodcaster) October 13, 2023
Police got wind of the alleged theft when an employee at RDI Motors called the cops to report the vehicle as stolen, Fox 59 reported. (RELATED: Car Dealership Opens In Blue City, Immediately Has Most Of Inventory Stolen)
Dealership staff told police that Shelton showed up at the dealership and asked to look at the car but then drove off in the Optima when no one was looking, according to the outlet.
Officers easily identified Shelton as the suspect, since she had submitted an inquiry on the dealership website before stealing the sedan, per Fox 59. (RELATED: New York Times Op-Ed Blames Kia, Hyundai For Auto-Theft Crime Wave)
After initially attempting to lie about her identity, Shelton explained to law enforcement that she used the car as transportation to get to a job interview for a position as an exotic dancer, police said, according to Fox 59.
Court documents allege that the 20-year-old Shelton “acted like the whole thing was a joke” and “did not understand what she was going to be arrested for,” insisting that she had “returned” the car by leaving it in a mall parking lot next to the dealership with the keys still inside, per the outlet. Apparently, someone else later stole the car from the lot, as police later recovered it in the neighboring town of Anderson, Fox 59 reported.
Shelton said she did not know what happened to the car after she dropped it off but that she had seen the vehicle on a “bitch’s” Snapchat account, court documents allege, per the outlet.
Shelton was arrested on “preliminary charges” of auto theft as well as identity deception, both of which are felonies. She faces up to two-and-a-half years in prison under these charges, according to Fox 59.