Man steals OFD med truck after being released from jail the same morning and needing a ride home
Published 4:34 pm Friday, August 9, 2019
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader An Orange Fire Department medical truck is totaled after a man steals it and crashes it during a pursuit on Friday morning.
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
Eric Williams/The Orange Leader
By Eric Williams
The Orange Leader
A man released from jail early Friday morning landed himself back in jail after stealing a medical unit from Orange Central Fire Station.
Around 10 a.m., Orange Police Officers were notified by fire personnel that one of their trucks was taken from Central Fire Station in downtown Orange by an unknown male suspect who was not a fireman.
As officers begun searching for the stolen truck, an Orange County Deputy spotted the truck on Farm to Market Road 105 and attempted to stop the truck.
The driver refused to stop and a pursuit initiated down Farm to Market Road 105 towards South Vidor.
The pursuit continued for several miles before the driver crashed in a wooded area near Live Oak Street South of Vidor city limits. The suspect was immediately taken into custody by an Orange County Sheriff Deputy.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the suspect was released from jail a short time before he stole the fire vehicle.
The suspect told officers he took the truck only because he needed a ride home to Vidor and no one would give him a ride.
The was suspect was taken to a Beaumont Hospital for observation, then transported back the Orange County Jail.
No other injuries or property was damaged during the pursuit. The fire vehicle appears to be a total lost.
The case remains under investigation by Texas Department of Public Safety Troopers.
