The Orange County Criminal Lawyer Blog
An Arizona resident who was exiting the hospital after receiving help for health problems relating to the extreme heat outside allegedly stole an ambulance so that he would not have to walk home in the high temperature.
When 37-year-old Todd Shell, a former basketball player for Arizona State University, became ill from the recorded 115-degree weather on Tuesday he went to the hospital for treatment.
After he was stabilized Shell left the hospital and went back into the hot weather but as he did not have a vehicle he realized that he would have to walk home. He allegedly spotted an ambulance that had recently made a drop off at the emergency room. It was still running but no one was inside of it.
Shell reportedly decided to use the ambulance to drive himself to his home and get money so that he could get something to eat without having to walk and further expose himself to the elements.
Just before noon, the Mesa Police Department was alerted and they used the ambulance’s onboard GPS device to track Shell’s location. When they met up with the ambulance on a local freeway the officers reportedly attempted to get Shell to pull over, but he continued until he used an exit ramp and came to a stop where he was met by responding police.
Shell allegedly told the officers that he was going home to retrieve money to buy a sandwich and that he was going to bring the ambulance back to the hospital when he was finished with it.
The police took Shell into custody and he was charged with one count of unlawful use of means of transportation, and one count of unlawful flight from law enforcement, both class 5 felonies.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a theft crime, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.