Q: Can I really be charged for a Auto theft felony under the circumstances? Yes I abused the Privilege but it was not theft
Was renting a uhaul truck consistently for approx 6 months for Business. Although uhaul's policy is to check in &/or return every 24hrs. They have consistently let me breach the actual contract terms. So, I would always go days & weeks without contact before I check in with them, catch up my bill, extend & continue the rental. However, I did keep it out weeks extra than normal & I was arrested in the Uhaul for Auto theft felony in Michigan but I never had any Intent to ever STEAL the vehicle. I even have home security cameras to show I always park the vehicle at my home address overnight but the GM at the Uhaul store told my mom she couldn't get me on the phone & that's because I broke my other phone & could only get my calls if I was connected to Wifi but I never got any voicemails. So (Store GM) reported it stolen. I’m confused because the uhaul agents including the store GM would let me buy them lunch often. So I thought like hey they know when I do show up all will be ok as normal.
A:
You absolutely can be criminally charged. Just because they let you go for awhile doesn't mean they can't at some point file a police report that initiates charges. The lack of contact is probably why. Also, UHaul probably has internal policies that even though the GM may know your situation, he or she can only allow it to go on for so long before reporting the situation and taking action.
In the future, I would suggest adhering to the terms even if someone in the store is telling you it's okay - it's also for your protection. UHauls are commonly stolen and used for criminal activity.
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