Woman arrested in Spokane after saying she was too busy to return rental car

A woman was arrested in Spokane Thursday after failing to return a rental car she obtained out of state in October, telling authorities she wasn’t able return it because of her busy schedule.

Early Thursday, a dispatcher advised both Spokane County and Spokane Valley Sheriff’s deputies of an alert regarding a Dodge Durango with a Florida license plate that had been reported stolen, according to a news release from the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. The release was also posted on the agency’s Facebook page.

Deputies located the vehicle in the 2300 block of N. Argonne Road in Spokane. From there, they confirmed the Florida plate and took the driver, identified as 33-year-old Morgan A. Jewell, into custody.

Jewell agreed to answer questions and explained to authorities she rented the Durango in Dallas on Oct. 21 and then drove it to Spokane, the law enforcement agency’s statement reads. She admitted she was only supposed to keep the vehicle in her possession for one day, but she got too busy to return it.

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The suspect then claimed she intended to extend her rental agreement, but she wasn’t able to reach the company that rented her the vehicle. Jewell acknowledged the rental company sent her a message warning her the Durango would be reported as stolen if she didn’t return it.

Deputies in Spokane County went on to review the report from the Dallas Fort Worth Airport Police Department. It showed Jewell rented a Dodge vehicle on Oct. 20. The agency reported in its press statement the rental company sought to pursue charges against Jewell since she didn’t return the Durango, as the rental agreement required.

Jewell was booked into the Spokane County Jail for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office explained the Dallas Fort Worth Airport Police Department was informed about the vehicle’s recovery. However, attempts to notify the rental company were unsuccessful as of the time the agency’s news release was distributed. Deputies in Washington towed the Durango reported stolen until the firm could arrange to pick it up.

Editors’ note: A previous version of this story misspelled the first name of the suspect. The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the correct spelling of the suspect’s name on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.