Woman arrested for alleged vehicle theft after owner followed her

A local woman who allegedly stole a man’s vehicle Saturday morning was arrested several hours later after the man found her but then lost her, prompting a search by Garland County sheriff’s deputies and Arkansas State Police .

Marlei Lynn Reynolds, 21, who lists an address in Leigh Circle, was taken into custody about 11 a.m. and charged with theft over $1,000, which is punishable by up to six years in prison.

Reynolds, who reported no prior offenses, was held on $2,500 bond and appeared in Garland County District Court on Monday. She remained in custody Tuesday and is scheduled for a felony review hearing on June 21.

According to the probable cause affidavit, a man who lived on Bill House Trail reported that he woke up around 8:30 a.m. Saturday and noticed his red Ford Explorer missing. Deputy Roy Elliott took the report and entered the vehicle into their computer system as stolen.

A short time later, the victim called back and stated that he had determined it was a woman named “Marlei” who had stolen his vehicle, but did not know where she was.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., Elliott was informed by dispatchers that the owner of the vehicle was following him on Vaughn Road but then lost sight of it. Elliott and other officers, as well as state police, began searching the area and found a vehicle matching the description backed into a driveway in the 1200 block of Danville Road.

Elliott and ASP Trooper Justin Parker conducted a felony traffic stop on the vehicle and located a female, identified as Reynolds, in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, which was still running, and took her into custody.

The vehicle, valued at $4,000, was returned to the owner and Reynolds was arraigned and taken to the detention center shortly after 2:30 p.m