A woman has been accused of threatening an Uber driver a gun while forcing her to drive around neighborhoods for hours, police charged.
Betty Jo Halter, 44, was apprehended on July 25 after she allegedly held the Florida Uber driver hostage for more than two and a half hours with a gun making her drive around various neighborhoods searching for a person named “Michael,” according to a charging affidavit from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
After receiving a dispatch from Uber, Kimberly Ruth Pagan, 45, picked up Halter in Bunnell, Florida, the report says.
When Pagan arrived at the address she saw Halter standing next to a storage unit with a service dog, according to the police report.
Halter approached the car “very frantically” and started lading items from her storage unit onto the Uber despite Pagan’s instruction not to do so, the report says. But Halter continued loading her items and then sat in the front seat, ignoring Pagan’s request to take her belongings and leave the car, according to the affidavit.
Instead, Halter pulled a black handgun from a pink Coach purse with her right hand, according to the report, and pointed it at Pagan.
“I’m not afraid to use it… you can ask Michael,” Halter said, according to the report. “You’re on my time and will do as I say.”
Halter then made Pagan drive around several neighborhoods, looking for Michael, the report says.
Finally, Pagan arrived at a home in Palm Coast and Halter told her to drive around to the back of the residence, according to the affidavit.
Halter ordered Pagan out of the car so she couldn’t drive off and then unloaded her belongings onto the back porch of the residence, the document says.
She made Pagan get back into the car and drive to the front to wait for Michael, but when a black Lexus pulled into the driveway, Halter ducked in the car and told Pagan to drive away, the report says.
At this point, Pagan told Halter that it was the end of her shift, and asked Halter to get out of the car, the affidavit states.
“Your shift ends when I say it does,” Halter replied, according to the report.
Pagan stated that Halter made her drive a street behind the residence, and wait for Michael to leave so that Halter could retrieve her phone, according to the report.
Halter then got out of the car on the road behind the residence and began walking around without paying the fare, leaving her service dog, a Porcelain doll and a make-up bag in the vehicle, the report says.
In fear for her life, Pagan got out of the car the car, took all the items out, placed them on the road, got back in the car and sped away while calling 911, the report states.
The police arrested Halter at the back of the residence, where she “continued to jerk around and talk in a manner that did not make sense,” according to the affidavit. She was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill and false imprisonment, the report says.
An Uber spokesperson told ABC News that they will work with police to help in any way regarding the investigation.
“What’s been reported is very disturbing and we’ve been in touch with the driver to offer our support,” the Uber spokesperson said. “The rider’s access to the app has been removed.”
Halter is currently in jail at the Flagler County Inmate Detention Facility, Shannon Martin-Sabatini, public affairs officer for the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office, told ABC News.
“She has been charged,” she said, “and has refused to sign her first appearance document, no contact order, and has not enter[ed] a plea.”
