A Tampa woman was taken into custody Friday after she called 911 to notify police that she was stealing a Toyota Corolla from a dealership parking lot in an attempt to make the theft legal. However, her unconventional approach didn’t pan out, and she now faces charges.
Christy Lee Turman, 37, can be heard yelling emphatically in the audio from her call to police, which was released by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office: “Because I’m trying to steal a car that’s not legally mine! So ya’ll gotta make a report! I’m reporting this!” Public information officer Julie Martin said that when officers arrived at the scene, they found Turman exiting the driver’s side of the Corolla.
Body camera footage from the responding officer shows Turman complying with police while holding her phone. According to Martin, Turman explained to officers that she was participating in a game of Black Ops and was being trained to steal a vehicle.
Police records indicate that Turman, identified as “transient,” was booked into custody at 1:18 a.m. on Friday and charged with trespassing. Her bail was set at $5,000. Turman’s criminal history includes previous charges of petty theft, robbery, aggravated battery, and a 2015 arrest for disorderly conduct.
Despite Turman’s unusual attempt to legalize her actions, Florida has seen a significant decrease in both property and violent crime over the past three decades. According to FBI crime data, the state has experienced the nation’s largest drop in property crime at 78.7% and violent crime at 78.1% between 1991 and 2022.
