Man charged with damaging fire trucks
By Lee Williams
Published in News on February 8, 2007 1:47 PM
MOUNT OLIVE -- A Wayne County man will face charges for allegedly damaging two fire trucks after he removed them from Pricetown Volunteer Fire Station without permission.
Shelton Douglas Southerland Jr., 29, of Billy Price Road, Seven Springs, faces two counts of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, injury to personal property and larceny.
The charges stem from allegations that Southerland allegedly removed a brush truck used for snuffing out grass fires and a utility truck used for storing air packs from the station located on Zion Road in Mount Olive.
Wayne County Sheriff's Office deputies said Southerland then drove the trucks, damaged them and parked them back at the station. The theft occurred sometime between 10 p.m. Feb. 1 and 2:05 a.m. Feb. 2, officials said. One of the fire trucks sustained $2,500 in damage, Wayne County sheriff's Capt. George Raecher said. Tools valued of $650 were reported as stolen from one of the fire trucks. Also, the transmission on the brush truck was damaged, investigators said.