NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Earlier in the week, a man was arrested after being accused of forcing an Uber Eats driver to drive against her will, threatening her with a gun.
Pasco County deputies now say she lied.
According to an arrest report, Heidi Schmutz, 35, said a man she had been driving forced her to give him her phone and she wasn't able to call for help.
She claimed she was forced to drive to a hotel and was able to later run to her car and drive home with the help of another man at the hotel, the arrest report adds.
The man she accused of forcing her to drive against her will was later arrested.
After watching video surveillance from the hotel, deputies say they questioned Schmutz again about the interactions, adding she did not appear to be distressed or in danger.
She later admitted to deputies she was not forced to drive and had a verbal agreement with the man to drive him for a cash payment, according to the arrest report. The man did not have the money to pay her, deputies say, so she admitted she reported the false allegations and "exaggerated" what happened to make it seem "believable."
Schmutz was arrested for filing a false police report and sent to jail.
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