Charges Against Marine Veteran Wrongly Accused of Stealing Hertz Rental Car Dropped by Prosecutor After CBS News Report
MEDIA REQUESTS: To schedule an interview with Blake Gober or counsel in this matter, please contact Joe Carey at joe@careystrategiccommunications.com.
Morgantown, West Virginia – Until this morning, with the release of a bombshell CBS News report (view here) the world did not know that Marine Corps Veteran Blake Gober was wrongly arrested, imprisoned, and prosecuted for the alleged theft of a Hertz rental car back in 2019. On October 16, 2023, the felony charges against Mr. Gober were dismissed with prejudice.
The wrongful arrest and prosecution of Mr. Gober is yet another occasion where Hertz perpetrated great harm upon an innocent professional who simply rented one of its vehicles. As set forth in the Dismissal Motion: “the State has lost confidence in the reliability of the information provided by [Hertz] that forms the basis of these felony charges.”
Travis Prince and Brian Glasser of Bailey & Glasser, LLP and Wes Prince of the law firm of Shaffer Madia Law, PLLC represent Mr. Gober. “We are glad that the charges have finally been dropped against our client, but they never should have been filed in the first place. What Hertz put him through should not be suffered by anyone,” said Travis Prince.
Mr. Gober added: “I was a Hertz Gold customer who returned a car three years ago which I rented for my move from West Virginia to Northern Virginia. For Hertz to issue a warrant for my arrest and to put me and my family through this is unconscionable. I am dedicated to making sure this never happens to anyone else.”
Mr. Gober was unjustly apprehended and incarcerated during a routine traffic stop in 2022, the result of a false police report filed by Hertz in January 2020. On November 19, 2019, Gober rented a car from Hertz in Morgantown, West Virginia. Gober then returned it to Hertz at Reagan National Airport. On January 13, 2020, Hertz filed a false police report alleging Mr. Gober stole its car and on February 28, 2020 (seven weeks later), the car mysteriously reappeared at an Alexandria, Virginia apartment building, having amassed a whopping 7,492 miles on it. Meanwhile, Mr. Gober was working around Washington, D.C., knowing nothing about the missing car or warrant.
Gober's ordeal mirrors that of countless others who have been falsely accused by Hertz of car theft. Indeed, in December 2022, Hertz paid $168 million to settle hundreds of cases where it wrongfully accused people of stealing rental cars which resulted in false arrests and imprisonment. Stephen Scherr himself pocketed a colossal $182 million in 2022 as CEO of Hertz, making him the third highest-paid executive in the United States last year.
For further information or media inquiries, please contact: Joe Carey, Carey Strategic Communications, joe@careystrategiccommunications.com