MARYSVILLE, OH – A car saleswoman agreed to let a customer take a Jeep Wrangler for a test drive. What happened next left her trapped in the vehicle while the man ran errands and picked up a friend.
Todd Marrs, 51, has been indicted on abduction and disrupting public services charges after the bizarre December incident at Performance Luxury dealership in Marysville.
It started normally enough. Marrs came in and asked to test drive a Jeep. A female sales associate got in the passenger seat, expecting a quick spin around the block.
Instead, Marrs deviated from any reasonable test route and pulled into a warehouse parking lot, where he just sat there for five minutes. When the woman asked him to please head back to the dealership, he refused.
“No, now you’ll sit there and wait like a good girl,” Marrs allegedly told her.
The saleswoman tried to discreetly text her coworkers and share her location. When she attempted to actually call for help, Marrs grabbed her phone and threw it on the floorboard.
Then things got even stranger. Marrs drove to a local hospital to pick up a friend, telling his captive saleswoman he wasn’t returning until he finished his errands. He eventually drove back to the dealership with his buddy riding along as if nothing unusual had happened.
Marrs was indicted earlier this month and released on a $250,000 bond after his arraignment. His next court date is set for January 29.
The dealership hasn’t commented publicly on the incident or any changes to their test drive policies. The saleswoman’s condition and whether she’s returned to work haven’t been disclosed.
