Uber Driver Takes Newlyweds To-Be On Stolen Rental Car Ride: Sheriff

POLK COUNTY, FL — A man is facing multiple charges after Polk County authorities said he took a couple for an Uber ride in a stolen rental car — one he left running for three straight weeks so he wouldn't lose access to the vehicle.

Elijah Mills, 27, of Maitland, was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle and driving without a license after the Polk County Sheriff's Office stopped him while driving on Highway 27 near the Four Corners area of Davenport on Tuesday.

According to authorities, Mills gave an Uber ride to a couple who had traveled to Polk County from the United Kingdom for their wedding. During the ride, several deputies surrounded Mills and forced him to pull over, authorities said.

According to police, Mills was driving a Chevy Equinox he had rented from a company in Orange County. Authorities said he stopped paying for the rental, so the company had reported it stolen.

According to police, Mills told deputies he refused to answer the company's phone calls, knowing they were calling to ask about payments. He also told deputies the company had equipped the car with a device that kept it from restarting when customers didn't pay, police said.

To thwart the device, Mills told deputies he left the Equinox running for three weeks straight, authorities said.

Deputies arrested Mills and gave the bride and groom to-be a ride to their destination — but not before snapping a quick photo to remember the ride, the sheriff's office said.