Florida Man Steals Jeep, Drives Back For Lost Phone Into Waiting Arms Of Police

WINTER HAVEN (CBSMiami) -- A Florida man who allegedly stole a Jeep was captured for returning to the scene of the crime to get his phone.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says Ronnie Dillon Willis drove the stolen jeep back to the home from where he stole it in Winter Haven and asked if anybody found his missing cellphone "which was pinging back to the residence."

The owner of the stolen Jeep, Marta Diaz, was actually being interviewed by a deputy about her stolen vehicle just as Willis returned.

Deputies said that Willis told Diaz and the deputy that he had lost his phone and tracked it back to the residence.

When officers interviewed Willis, he told them that he woke up inside a vehicle on the residence, but he couldn't remember if it was the same Jeep he stole or a minivan also parked on the property. Willis then knocked on the door of Diaz's house, but no one answered. That's when he decided to take the Jeep for a spin.

Diaz told police she had no idea who Willis was and did not give him permission to use her car. However, she did remember seeing him near her house earlier in the morning before she went out with her husband.

Willis was charged with Grand Theft of a motor vehicle and ticketed for driving with a suspended license.

Willis was booked into the Polk County and was released on $1,000 bail on March 25.