A routine inspection for two city of Key West employees escalated into a grand theft auto case, when their city vehicle was stolen from the 1600 block of South Street on Oct. 1.
The building department inspectors told Key West police they had left the white, city-owned 2018 Prius running when they went to conduct an inspection in the backyard of a nearby home.
While the car was running, a 49-year-old woman who does not work for the city of Key West, and who didn’t have a valid driver’s license, got into the Prius and drove away.
The car was found a short time later parked in the public parking lot at the fire station on Simonton Street, and the suspect was located a few blocks away near Eaton and Bahama streets. She still had the car key in her hand when police located her, according to the police report.
A check revealed that Marissa Kiddy, 49, did not have a valid license and her address was listed as the homeless shelter on College Road.
The city employees checked the vehicle and reported that no damage had been caused and nothing had been stolen from the car, the report states.
Kiddy was arrested for grand theft auto and was given a criminal citation for driving without a license.
