Police: Evansville Woman Stole Car with Disabled Passenger

An Evansville woman was arrested Monday after allegedly stealing a vehicle with an intellectually disabled passenger.

Hailee Marie Cureton, 25, was arrested on charges of theft, driving under the influence, felonious restraint and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

According to court records, Casper police responded to a report of a stolen vehicle in the 500 block of North Center Street at roughly 10:20 a.m. Monday. The vehicle was occupied by the owner’s developmentally disabled son while the owner was in a business.

The passenger texted his father — the vehicle's owner — and described being driven to an O'Reily Autoparts on East Yellowstone.

Police were initially unable to locate the vehicle until the passenger honked the horn.

Officers were then flagged down by a man who described an intoxicated female wearing a tie-dyed shirt trying to get in his truck.

Cureton was subsequently located. When speaking to police, she described a female acquaintance who was “beautiful and strong.” She rambled nonsensically and talked about “how the planets aligned,” before denying using drugs. She also told police she took the vehicle with the passenger in it to “help keep up with society.”

An employee of an auto parts store told officers that he observed Cureton enter the building and say, “I need a car” before saying, “I need windshield wipers too,” before walking over to a windshield wiper display.

Cureton was administered a breathalyzer and blew .00. However, a drug recognition expert detected signs of Cureton being under the influence of a stimulant, but court documents are unclear as to what.