FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Flagler County deputies said a GPS tracker on a rental car helped investigators catch an accused car thief.
Sheriff Rick Staly said the victim left her rental car, a white Nissan Altima, running in the parking lot of a Flagler Beach Publix on Monday.
"Came back out and the car was gone," Staly said.
Staly said investigators contacted the rental company, which had a GPS tracker on their vehicle. Deputies found the car 30 minutes after it was reported stolen in Palm Coast.
Deputy body camera video showed the first responding deputy pulling up to the home. Investigators said Elisha Clark, 21, was seen getting out of the driver's seat.
He told deputies the vehicle wasn't his.
"So where did you get the car?" the deputy asked. "It's not my car. It's not my car, I don't have a license," Clark said in the video.
According to investigators, Clark said the vehicle was left in front of his house by one of his "homeboys."
Two female passengers were also in the car when deputies arrived. They're not facing charges.
Deputies said they found drugs inside the car and on Clark. They said they also found almost $900.
Clark is charged with grand theft auto and other drug charges. Deputies said he has a criminal history, including being arrested seven times in Flagler County for grand theft, burglary and other charges.
Staly said criminals can learn a lesson from this case.
"It's not very smart to be a criminal today because technology is out there and everyone is using it, whether it's law enforcement, governments or private companies or private individuals, which really helps us solve these cases and make arrests," the sheriff said.
Clark was booked into the Flagler County jail and is being held on a $9,000 bail.