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https://nypost.com/2023/10/17/marine-vet-was-arrested-after-hertz-accused-him-of-stealing-a-rental/amp/
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US News

MARINE VET CLAIMS HE WAS ARRESTED FOR ‘STEALING’ HERTZ RENTAL CAR HE RETURNED
YEARS EARLIER

By Ronny Reyes

Published Oct. 17, 2023, 3:49 p.m. ET

A US Marine veteran says he was arrested six weeks before his wedding for
stealing a Hertz rental car he returned years earlier in Washington D.C.

Blake Gober, 33, rented a car from Hertz in West Virginia back in November 2019
and dropped the keys off at a return station in the Reagan National Airport, CBS
News reports.

Three years later, Gober said he was pulled over in Louisville, Kentucky, for
speeding. But instead of just getting a ticket, the Marine was told he would be
extradited to West Virginia.

“They pulled me behind the vehicle and placed me in handcuffs and said that I
had a warrant out for my arrest out of West Virginia,” Gober said. “It was hell.
It was the worst.”

Gober found himself indicted in January for theft of a rental vehicle and grand
larceny, facing a possible 12-year prison sentence that would see him separated
from his wife.

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6
Blake Gober, a US marine veteran, was arrested three years after he checked out
a Hertz rental to travel to a new job in Washington D.C. X / @@ebgober

The veteran’s case, however, is not uncommon, as Hertz has found itself under
fire for allegedly filing hundreds of false theft accusations throughout the
years.

Like Gober, many Hertz customers had found themselves arrested and imprisoned,
with some taken into custody at gunpoint.

6
The veteran said he was falsely accused and taken in by police just six weeks
before his wedding to his wife, Erica. X / @@ebgober

Last December, the rental company agreed to pay $168 million for 364 cases of
alleged false reports, with US senators also calling on the federal government
to investigate Hertz.

Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr, who took over the role in February, claimed the
incidents stemmed from a glitch in the company’s systems.

The company, however, stands by its allegations against Gober, claiming he kept
the one-day rental for more than three months without paying.

6
Gober said he followed the proper procedures when dropping off the vehicle at
Hertz’s Reagan National Airport station. Google Maps

6
Hertz has gotten backlash after hundreds of customers were accused of stealing
their rentals, with some taken into custody at gunpoint. CBS NEWS

The company also claimed they made repeated attempts to contact Gober with
calls, texts and mail.

“Mr. Gober ignored all of Hertz’s outreach, save one phone call during which he
hung up on a Hertz representative when asked to return the vehicle. Ultimately,
Hertz reported its car stolen,” the company said in a statement.

Gober refutes the company’s claim, saying he never received any messages from
them, with court documents indicating that Hertz sent their correspondences to
the vet’s former address.

The Monongalia County prosecutor in charge of the case has filed to dismiss the
charges against Gober, slamming Hertz as an untrustworthy plaintiff, according
to CBS.

6
Gober alleges that he never received any notices from Hertz about their
allegations. X / @@ebgober

“The state has lost confidence in the reliability of the information provided by
the victim in the case,” the prosecutor said in the filing.

Gober and his wife, Erica, have said this past year has been the hardest of
their life as they hope the case is successfully dismissed and the veteran can
return to his life in peace.

“Charging an innocent person and trying to go after an innocent person, that’s
not justice. That’s the opposite of justice,” he said.

6
Prosecutors are looking to dismiss the charges against Gober after slamming
Hertz as an unreliable source of information. AP
What do you think? Post a comment.

Hertz filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020 after struggling with its debt and
a drop in travel caused by the pandemic. It operates Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty
car rental brands.

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