A woman was arrested after she allegedly lied to law enforcement about being carjacked Sunday.
Rankin County Sheriff’s Department officials say deputies were called to Highway 18 in Brandon for a reported carjacking. They met the supposed victim, Marlen Druscilla Carter, on the scene.
Carter told deputies and investigators her car had broken down when a pair of men she didn’t know stopped to help her. By her account, the strangers fixed the vehicle then absconded with it down the highway.
A BOLO was issued for law enforcement agencies in Rankin, Smith, and Simpson counties as investigators worked to recover the car and the two men that were believed to have carjacked Carter. However, a review of traffic camera footage in the area came up empty.
Authorities obtained the car’s location data from the manufacturer, which showed that the car had been in California, making it impossible that Carter had been carjacked. The vehicle was later found in Bellflower, Calif., in coordination with the California Highway Patrol.
Carter was arrested after the discovery and charged with felony fraudulent statements and representations. She was placed in custody in the Rankin County Detention Center on a bond of $10,000.