Auto theft prompts 10-day jail term for Orcas woman

An Orcas Island woman whose spin in a stolen car came to a abrupt halt when the brother of its owner spotted her behind the wheel was sentenced to 10 days for auto theft.

An Orcas Island woman whose spin in a stolen car came to a abrupt halt when the brother of its owner spotted her behind the wheel was sentenced to 10 days for auto theft.

On Aug. 22, Christine Faye Meyer, 55, pleaded guilty in San Juan County Superior Court to one count of second-degree auto theft, a Class C felony. Meyer, who qualified for sentencing as a first-time offender, will be allowed to perform 80 hours of community restitution in lieu of jail. She was also ordered to pay $950 in fines and fees.

According to court documents, Meyer snatched a Honda Civic in early June from a Eastsound parking lot in mid-afternoon and then drove to a friend’s home on nearby Buck Mountain. Along the way, she reportedly pulled over and came to a stop near a construction site where the brother of the woman who owns the car was working. He contacted his sister first and then alerted authorities after seeing a stranger get out of the car and rummage through its trunk.

Meyer, accompanied by a friend in the passenger seat, was stopped on her way back down the hill and subsequently arrested. She reportedly told the arresting officer, according to court records, that she had been test-driving the car, which at the time was for sale.

A Class C felony, auto theft carries maximum penalties of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both; however, the standard range of sentencing set by the state is 0-60 days in jail.