By Jeremy Chisenhall
Lexington Herald-Leader
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — A thief allegedly took off with a military Humvee belonging to the London -- Laurel County Rescue Squad Tuesday morning, police said.
The massive 1999 military vehicle was stolen from Main Street in London around 2 a.m. Tuesday, police said. It was parked in front of the rescue squad building with a sign on it to advertise the rescue squad’s haunted house, police said.
“Supposedly this subject was walking by, got in the vehicle and drove it off,” he said.
The alleged thief was believed to be a male wearing dark clothing who drove the vehicle to an Economy Inn on North Main Street, police said. It was later seen going north on U.S. 25 at a high rate of speed, police said.
Williams said the vehicle was located early Tuesday morning when a volunteer firefighter with the Pongo Fire Department reported seeing it . The Pongo community is in Rockcastle County.
The Humvee was overturned in a ditch when it was found, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner. It wasn’t totaled, but the doors were ripped off, according to WKYT.
A suspect has been identified, and police weretrying to find him, Williams said. Williams didn’t release the man’s name.
The rescue squad’s Humvee, which previously had been used as an ambulance, was fitted with emergency lights, a siren, off-road lights and a mobile radio, according to police.
The alleged thief targeted a valuable piece of equipment. Humvee prices vary depending on features, but the original cost is reported to be about $70,000. Armored Humvees can reportedly cost as much as $220,000. But the Department of Defense has auctioned Humvees in the past, and they can now be found at much lower prices. The stolen vehicle was several years old.
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