A woman arrested for attempting to steal a car while a child was inside claimed that Kanye West instructed her to commit the crime.
Police responded early Friday morning to a report from North Main Street about a woman attempting to enter parked vehicles outside local businesses. The suspect, later identified as Ricki Smith from Louisville, Kentucky, was seen trying to access a woman’s car as the owner was heading into a store.
The vehicle’s owner intervened, forcibly removing Smith from the car by pulling her hair. The victim, who was en route to drop off her child at daycare before making a store stop, confronted Smith during the attempted theft.
Smith told investigators that she had traveled from Louisville to Evansville but experienced car trouble on Interstate 64. She reported that her vehicle broke down, leading her to hitchhike the rest of the journey. Smith explained that she attempted to steal the car because Kanye West had allegedly given her a “telegraphic” message to do so.
After being arrested, Smith was transported to Vanderburgh County Jail. Authorities later found that Smith had crashed her own vehicle into trees off I-64, which led to her abandoning it.
Smith now faces charges of kidnapping and auto theft, according to jail records.
