By Theodore Decker
The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Whitehall man is scheduled to appear in court this morning on a charge that he stole a Columbus medic truck while paramedics tended to an asthmatic patient on the East Side.
James J. Sutherland, 26, of 435 Beaver Ave. is charged with grand theft, a third-degree felony.
Police said Sutherland stole the truck, Medic 32, early yesterday from outside 3708 Kimberly Parkway and drove it into Whitehall, where he was stopped by a cruiser at E. Broad Street and Yearling Road.
Columbus Fire Battalion Chief David Whiting said the paramedics had been called to the address at 4:25 a.m. to help a boy having difficulty breathing.
The boy didn’t have to be transported, which was a good thing, Whiting said.
“They were getting ready to clear, coming out of the house, and said, ‘Uh, our medic’s not here,’ ” he said.
The stolen truck was reported immediately to area police agencies. Whitehall officers spotted the truck, its lights still flashing, and followed it until Sutherland stopped. He was arrested.
Whiting said authorities don’t know why Sutherland stole the truck, but he didn’t appear to be in a hurry. Cruiser video shows him stopping at red lights and minding other traffic laws as police followed.
In court records, Sutherland’s home is listed on Beaver Avenue, not far from where he stopped.
Nothing was taken from the truck, which was not damaged.
The theft will not prompt a change in policy. Whiting said paramedics keep their trucks running to ensure that lights and other equipment remain on while they are on calls.
Copyright 2010 The Columbus Dispatch