A 29-year-old convicted felon from Ocala is facing several felony charges after she was caught driving an SUV that was reported stolen by one of her relatives.
On Monday, March 13, the female victim contacted the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and advised that her 2020 Honda CR-V had been stolen by Kimberly Naomi Singh, according to the arrest report.
The victim told an MCSO deputy that Singh had taken the vehicle’s spare key out of a drawer, and she proceeded to steal the vehicle a short time later. The victim advised that Singh did not have permission to drive the vehicle, and the victim added that Singh does not have a valid driver’s license.
In the MCSO report, the deputy noted that the victim wanted to pursue charges for the theft of the SUV, which was valued at approximately $25,000. A BOLO (Be on the Lookout) was issued for the stolen vehicle, and it was located on Thursday, March 16, at approximately 1 a.m., traveling eastbound near the 8200 block of W Highway 40.
According to the MCSO report, the SUV turned southbound onto SW 80th Avenue and an MCSO deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle in the 700 block of SW 80th Avenue. Singh was removed from the driver’s seat and an unidentified male passenger was detained from the passenger’s seat.
In the MCSO report, the deputy noted that a search of the SUV was conducted. Inside the vehicle, a plastic baggie containing a white rock-like substance was located between the driver’s seat and center console. The white substance later field-tested positive for cocaine.
Under the passenger’s seat, a loaded Taurus revolver was also found. The victim told MCSO that she does not own a gun and the recovered revolver did not belong to her.
During the traffic stop, the deputy made contact with the passenger who advised in a post-Miranda interview that he had seen Singh at a friend’s house. After he “smoked a blunt” with Singh, he advised that she offered to give him a ride home. He claimed that he had been in the SUV for 20 minutes and was unaware of any items inside the vehicle, according to the MCSO report.
The arrest report stated that the deputy then made contact with Singh. After being read her Miranda rights, Singh claimed that she was in the back seat when the traffic stop was conducted, and she proceeded to climb into the driver’s seat after the SUV was stopped.
Singh told the deputy that she was supposed to take the SUV back, but she had wanted to see her boyfriend. She claimed that she did not know about the items that were found inside the vehicle, according to the MCSO report.
A criminal history search of Singh revealed that she was previously convicted of a felony in 2014 for battery on a law enforcement officer in Marion County. In addition, the sheriff’s office confirmed that her driver’s license is suspended indefinitely, and she was previously convicted of driving with a suspended license in Marion County in 2022.
Singh was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail where she is currently being held on $15,000 bond. She is facing felony charges for grand theft of a motor vehicle, possession of cocaine, and possession of a weapon or ammunition by a convicted felon, along with a misdemeanor charge for driving with a suspended license (subsequent offense).
A court date has been scheduled at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, April 18, according to jail records.