Norfork woman who missed date for returning rental car by more than 500 days pleads guilty to theft

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A Norfork woman pled guilty to renting a vehicle from a local business and refusing to return it as specified in the rental agreement during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Monday.

In fact, the woman was not arrested on the charges until 512 days after the agreement was signed.

The car’s owner eventually recovered it in St. Louis, according to court records.

Thirty-nine-year-old Amy Marie Malaczewski was charged with theft of property charges.

She was sentenced to five years-probation. Victim restitution is to be determined. According to the probable cause affidavit, she is alleged to have rented a 2016 Nissan Altima on September 8, 2021 with a return scheduled for two days later.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the return date came and went with no sign of the vehicle or Malaczewski.

The victim made contact with Malaczewski and was told she was in St. Louis but would be headed back to Mountain Home. She did not keep that promise.

An investigator from the Baxter County Sheriff’s office reported that the victim began calling Malaczewski daily but received a multitude of different stories as to when the car would be returned.

On September 14, 2021, the victim filed a report on the missing vehicle and indicated it had an estimated value of $17,500.

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