Ohio car dealership employee accompanies customer on a routine test drive. But he abducts her, tell her to ‘wait like a good girl’

An Ohio man is facing felony charges after authorities say he abducted a car dealership employee during what was supposed to be a routine vehicle test drive, all because he said he needed to run some “errands.”

According to local news outlet WBNS, the incident occurred in December, 2025, at Performance Luxury Sport, a dealership in Marysville, about 35 miles northwest of Columbus.

According to court records and law enforcement accounts, Todd Marrs, 51, arrived at the dealership and requested to test drive a Jeep Wrangler with a sales associate accompanying him, a common practice at many dealerships.

But investigators say Marrs did not follow the dealership’s established test-drive route. Instead, he continued driving away from the business despite repeated requests from the employee to return.

Court documents allege that when the sales associate insisted they go back, Marrs refused and made a degrading remark toward her, telling her she would “Sit there and wait like a good girl.”

A hospital stop to pick up a friend

According to charging documents, Marrs continued driving to multiple locations unrelated to the test drive. One stop allegedly included a warehouse area near railroad tracks, where the vehicle remained parked for several minutes. Marrs later drove to a hospital in Marysville to pick up another individual before finally returning to the dealership.

Prosecutors allege the employee, fearing she was being kidnapped, texted coworkers and shared her phone’s location, which helped investigators piece together what occurred. Authorities say Marrs noticed her using the phone and took it from her, tossing it to the floor of the vehicle.

Once back at the dealership, the sales associate reported the incident to the police. No physical injuries were reported, but authorities classified the incident as an abduction based on the employee being restrained through intimidation and deprived of her freedom to leave.

Marrs was arrested in early January and booked into the Tri-County Regional Jail. He has been charged with abduction and disrupting public services, according to court records filed in Union County. If convicted, the charges could carry significant prison time.

During a court appearance, a judge set Marrs’ bond at $250,000. His next court date is scheduled for later this month, when prosecutors are expected to present additional evidence. The Ohio dealership has not publicly commented on the incident, and the identity of the sales associate has not been released.

While test-drive abductions are rare, the case has renewed attention on safety protocols for dealership employees. Industry experts have long warned that extended test drives without strict route controls or emergency safeguards can create risks, particularly when employees are alone with customers.