A Florida man is accused of stealing a Cybertruck during a test drive last month, then returning to the dealership at a later date to retrieve his belongings, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Dexter Smithen allegedly went to a Tesla dealership in Tampa, Florida, on March 26 to test drive a Cybertruck Cyberbeast after meeting with a sales person, according to a criminal affidavit seen by FOX 13 Tampa Bay.
Smithen gave the sales associate his driver’s license, which was confirmed to be his, and signed a test-drive agreement to return the truck to the dealership within 30 minutes of leaving, which he did not do, the document said.
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Attempts to reach Smithen through the number he wrote on the test-drive agreement were unsuccessful. The sales associate also emailed Smithen demanding the return of the Cybertruck.
A different sales associate used geolocation tracking to locate the truck on March 31 and told deputies that Smithen drove it to a Home Depot, parked and went inside the store, the affidavit stated.
That salesperson took cellphone video of Smithen walking in the parking lot before recovering the Cybertruck and reporting the crime to the HCSO.
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Smithen returned to the Tesla dealership on Tuesday to retrieve some of his items that he left in the Cybertruck, according to the affidavit.
He was arrested at the business, and while he was being searched, a deputy said he found five credit cards with five different names.
Smithen has been charged with grand theft of more than $100,000 and unlawful possession of personal identification.
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