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Valet Hands Keys to $300,000 Car to Wrong Person. 28-Year-Old Driver Takes Off

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Florida lawyer James Fowler, 73, was staying at the Vinoy Park Hotel in St. Petersburg, Florida, for a lawyer’s convention.

His yellow 2014 Ferrari 458 Italia Spider was parked outside the hotel by the valet service, where he expected it to remain safe.

And for the next 12 hours, it was. But around midnight, 28-year-old Levi Miles, age 28, saw the parked car during a particularly busy moment for the valet.

Miles, who was accompanied by 24-year-old Chloe Rimmer, demanded that the attendant give him the keys to “his” Ferrari.

Miles “seemed impatient” when the valet asked for his ticket. He told him that it was in the car and that he’d come back with it.

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And with that, Miles was handed the keys to a $300,000 car — and to impressing his unaware date for the evening.

The valet said the pair “sat in the car for a while.” But he stopped watching them when he realized they wouldn’t be tipping him.

Eventually they made their getaway and drove off with the car. Miles believed he’d made a smooth escape.

But less than 30 minutes later, police were on their trail. But not because a stolen vehicle had been reported.

Police informed Miles that they’d pulled him over because his tail lights weren’t working. His response? “I thought I just got those fixed.”

The officer had also noticed that Miles seemed to have difficulty driving the vehicle, and obviously did not know how to work the lights.

From there, Miles’s story frequently changed. He initially told police that he was a Marine borrowing his father’s car, and that he and his girlfriend were returning to the Vinoy.

But police immediately knew something wasn’t right, so he radioed another officer to ask if a Ferrari was missing from the hotel.

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Both Miles and Rimmer, who had actually just met that night, were placed in separate police vehicles and arrested.

Although his story continued to change, the last one he stuck with was that he’d just met Rimmer and they went back to the hotel for her car. That’s when he saw the bright yellow sportscar.

But he also said he was just trying to impress the girl he met that night, but police believe that there was more to the story. Detectives questioned Miles about being a part of a ring stealing expensive cars, something he adamantly denied.

Rimmer’s story also aligned with this statement. She said that she realizes it was odd that he couldn’t really drive the car, but that she really didn’t give it a second thought in the moment.

Miles also “admitted that he had an attitude with the valet attendant to distract him from asking for the valet ticket,” an officer said. He also said that he planned to return the car that night.

Police later found two grams of cocaine on the center console and marijuana in Rimmer’s purse. But even though the evidence continued to stack against him, Miles denied that he had stolen the car.

“Miles stated the vehicle and keys were given to him by (the) valet,” a report said, “so technically he did not steal the vehicle.”

He is now facing charges of more than $100,000 for grant theft, the possession of cocaine and “habitually driving with a suspended or revoked license.” Rimmer only faces charges for marijuana possession.

The car’s real owner, Fowler, has since filed a lawsuit against Mariott International and the valet company 7171 Parking Enterprises for gross negligence.

The lawsuit states that because of the incident, he has since ‘”spent significant sums” on car inspections, repairs and legal fees after his Ferrari was stolen and that the value has been “diminished.”

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Liz was a senior story editor for The Western Journal.
Liz was a senior story editor for The Western Journal.
Location
Arizona
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