MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – A 30-year-old Palm Harbor, Florida, man was arrested Tuesday evening after allegedly stealing a rental vehicle and fleeing down the Florida Keys.
Donal Jeffers faces multiple charges, including grand theft auto, failure to register as a convicted felon, and driving with a suspended or revoked license.
According to authorities, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call near Big Coppitt Key and U.S. 1 at approximately 6:34 p.m. on July 14, 2026. A woman reported that a man, later identified as Jeffers, had taken her rental Chevrolet SUV without her permission.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office issued a “be-on-the-lookout” alert for the stolen vehicle. Deputies later discovered the SUV abandoned at a gas station on Big Coppitt Key, though the keys were missing from the vehicle.
Following a search, the keys were located hidden in the bushes near a fast-food restaurant further south in Key West.
Officers with the Key West Police Department ultimately located Jeffers at a separate gas station in Key West. He was taken into custody and transported to the local jail.
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