Woman Who Claimed Police Harassment On Instagram Video Arrested

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Police have arrested a woman who attracted widespread publicity and caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union after she posted a video on social media claiming police harassed her when they pulled her over in a stolen car.

Joneshia Wilkerson, 23, has been charged with failure to return a leased vehicle and fraudulent use of a credit card.

According to Tampa Police detectives, on June 2, Wilkerson went to the Hertz Rent-a-Car at St. Pete-Clearwater Airport and rented a black 2020 Nissan Altima. She provided a driver's license and a credit card to rent the car.

The car was due back on June 6 but was never returned. Hertz attempted to contact Wilkerson but discovered the credit card she used was stolen. The company subsequently filed a stolen car report with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office on June 18.

Later that same day, Tampa Police officers spotted a car matching the description of the stolen car on North 40th Street and pulled it over. Wilkerson was at the wheel and a 19-year-old acquaintance was in the passenger seat.

Wilkerson told police she was on leave from the Army and had borrowed the car from a friend, not realizing it was reported stolen. Wilkerson is a member of the Army Reserve.

Wilkerson filmed the traffic stop on her cell phone and posted the video on Instagram. She claimed police pointed a gun at her head even though she was complying with orders.

On the Instagram video, she commented, "I was scared and in fear with my life."

Tampa Police countered the criticism, releasing body camera footage of the incident in police officers can be heard speaking politely to Wilkerson and her passenger.

Tampa Police said the officer who pulled the stolen car over called for backup before approaching the car. The officer drew his weapon because he didn't know whether the occupants of the stolen car were armed. At no time, said Tampa Police, was a gun pointed at Wilkerson's head.

Police said both Wilkerson and her passenger were cooperative. Upon completing their investigation and impounding the stolen car, police released the two women and said they "appeared to understand the explanation provided by the officers."

Afterward, the ACLU questioned whether Tampa Police made Wilkerson a target of harassment or endangered her by releasing the body cam video of the arrest in which Wilkerson gave police personal information, including her address on North Ola Avenue in Tampa and her telephone number. Tampa Police took the video down.

In the meantime, Pinellas County Sheriff's detectives showed Wilkerson's Instagram video to the Hertz manager who rented Wilkerson the car, and the manager positively identified her. Hertz also provided the sheriff's office with surveillance footage showing Wilkerson renting the car inside Hertz office.

Upon further investigation, Tampa Police detectives discovered the driver's license Wilkerson used to rent the car belonged to a friend to whom Wilkerson paid $200. The credit card number Wilkerson used to rent the car belonged to an Indiana resident who was still in possession of the original credit card.

On Tuesday, Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies arrested Wilkerson at her new address on Zachery Circle in Riverview. She was released from the Orient Road Jail on $10,000 bail.

See related story: Tampa Police Release Body Cam Video To Quell Rumors Of Brutality