WARSAW, Ind. — A Winona Lake woman was arrested and charged after allegedly stealing a Jeep Cherokee and driving it to Michigan, failing to return it on the agreed-upon date.
Amanda Lee Nelson, 37, of 1202 Wooster Road Lot 14, faces the following charges:
Auto theft, a Level 6 felony
Possession of marijuana, a Class B misdemeanor
According to Warsaw Police, the incident began on June 25, when the vehicle’s owner loaned Nelson a 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk for a trip to Michigan. She was expected to return the vehicle by June 29, but failed to do so and did not respond to the owner’s attempts to contact her.
A relative told police Nelson had called from Michigan and stated she would not be returning to Indiana. On July 1, Nelson reportedly told the Jeep’s owner she would return the vehicle “whenever she decided to come home.”
Nelson was later located on July 3 by a Winona Lake Police officer, driving the stolen Jeep westbound on US 30 in Kosciusko County. During a search of the vehicle, officers found a partially smoked marijuana cigarette.
Nelson has since been arrested and released on bond, with court proceedings pending.
