A Tennessee man found himself behind bars last week after Marion County sheriff’s detectives spotted him driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen.
Matthew Ervin Schmidt, 53, of Nashville, was stopped Thursday in the 3900 block of NE 70th Street in Ocala. He had been driving a 2010 white Ford Explorer, which was confirmed stolen by officers from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
Schmidt “spontaneously uttered” that he had been instructed by the SUV’s owner to return it but had refused to do so. He provided detectives with a Tennessee identification card and told them that he hadn’t had a valid driver’s license in more than 20 years, the report says.
A deputy confirmed that Schmidt’s license had been revoked on Jan. 1, 1997 for driving under the influence. He was then taken into custody and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he was charged with driving while license suspended or revoked and grand theft auto. He is being held on $2,500 bond and is due in court on Jan. 14 at 9 a.m.