A candy apple red Corvette and a $700 tow later, a Summerfield woman is facing a stack of felony charges after deputies say she sold a car that wasn’t hers to sell.
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, Ramonita Jessica Rivera, 44, was arrested in connection with the alleged theft and sale of a 1984 red Corvette that had been stored at a residence on SE 94th Avenue in Summerfield.
The vehicle’s owner reported on Jan. 24 that his Corvette was missing. He told deputies he had been storing the car at the home with permission from a friend who had since moved out. When he returned to retrieve it, the classic sports car was gone.
Rivera, who lived at the residence, reportedly told deputies that the former occupant had arranged for a tow truck to remove the vehicle before leaving. Investigators later interviewed that individual, who denied making any such arrangements and told deputies he had heard Rivera sold the car.
An eyewitness with a clear view of the property told deputies he saw a flatbed tow truck arrive on Jan. 22 around 5:30 p.m. Two men exited the truck, met with Rivera, loaded the Corvette, exchanged paperwork, and handed her cash before leaving with the vehicle.
Days later, the owner of New Start Towing LLC contacted authorities after discovering the Corvette he had purchased for his business had been entered as stolen when he attempted to title it.
Deputies learned the business had been contacted by a woman responding to a Google advertisement. In text messages, she reportedly described the vehicle as a “candy apple red Corvette” and said she just needed the car gone. She arranged the pickup at the Summerfield address and identified herself using the alias “Cookie Wilds,” a name deputies say Rivera has used in the past.
The tow truck driver told investigators he paid $700 in cash for the vehicle and had Rivera sign an application for a derelict motor vehicle certificate. On that form, deputies say Rivera signed her name, provided her driver’s license information, gave a thumbprint, and represented herself as the rightful owner of the Corvette.
Investigators say the vehicle’s true owner never gave permission for the car to be moved or sold.
Rivera was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, dealing in stolen property, gross fraud, forgery of a public record, and uttering a false instrument. She was taken into custody on a no-bond status, according to the arrest affidavit.
For the rightful owner, it was supposed to be a stored piece of automotive nostalgia. Instead, deputies say it turned into a paperwork trail, a flatbed ride, and a $700 transaction that now carries felony consequences.
