A local woman who was arrested on a felony theft charge Wednesday night after she was reportedly caught behind the wheel of a stolen car told Hot Springs police she bought it.
Contessa Deniece Chambers, 34, who lists a Glendale Street address, was taken into custody shortly after 7 p.m. and charged with theft by receiving over $1,000, punishable by up to six years in prison. She was later released on a $2,500 bond and is set to appear Dec. 8 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Saturday, shortly before 6 p.m., a woman reported the theft of her 2003 Cadillac Deville from her parking spot in the 1500 block of Spring Street.
On Wednesday, shortly after 5:30 p.m., officers responded to the Dollar Tree, 4252 Central Ave., where the owner of the Cadillac had located her car parked in the lot occupied by a woman, later identified as Chambers, who was sitting in the driver's seat.
Officers ran a computer check to confirm it was the stolen vehicle and then took Chambers into custody. After being read her rights, Chambers reportedly stated she had purchased the car on Sunday from a man she only knows as "Kenneth."
She said a friend had called her and stated "Kenneth" had a vehicle for sale. She said she met the man and purchased the Cadillac from him for $600. The affidavit notes Chambers could not provide the name of the friend that had called her.
She told police she had insurance on the vehicle and had applied to register it, but had no proof of this. She also claimed she had a bill of sale for the vehicle but was unable to provide it to officers at the time of her arrest.
The affidavit notes the vehicle is valued at $1,775, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association, so the charge against Chambers was a felony.