A Florida woman is accused of stealing a firetruck and claiming to be a firefighting volunteer. She now faces the rare charge of impersonating a firefighter.
The shenanigans began on Friday, after a firefighter from the Wellborn Volunteer Fire Department allowed the gentlewoman to spend the night at the station. The following day, she vanished— along with one of the trucks, which prompted the Department to report the truck as stolen.
Almost simultaneously, however, the woman, who had driven the firetruck 11 miles away from the station, allegedly called the fire chief to inform him the truck had ran out of gas. She then proceeded to tell a sheriff who arrived on the scene that she was a Wellborn firefighter.
From Miami Herald:
When questioned, the 44-year-old woman "claimed she was a volunteer firefighter with Suwannee County," the sheriff's office reports.
"But according to the Suwannee County Fire Rescue administration, she was not on their official roster and was not authorized to operate the fire truck," officials said. "They wished to pursue criminal charges."
The woman, who lives in Wellborn, did not offer an explanation for why she had been driving the firetruck, but noted she left the keys in the truck's cab, inside a blue cup, officials said.
