Under the Influence, Kan. Firefighter Takes Rig for Joyride

Dec. 25, 2014
Chelsea Matthew was arrested after driving a Lincoln-Ottawa-Harrison brush fire truck.

A volunteer firefighter was dismissed from her department after she took a fire truck for a joyride in Franklin County.

Chelsea Matthew, 24, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence, according to KCTV.

She was behind the wheel of the Lincoln-Ottawa-Harrison brush fire truck, with lights and sirens on, when she called the dispatcher.

"There is another firefighter on my tail and he's trying to (expletive) kill me," she radioed. "The emergency is that an LOH firefighter was following me. I was at the station on standby. The LOH fire followed me to standby and was harassing me."

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The dispatchers notified the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, who sent a deputy to investigate. 

The deputy pulled the fire truck over and no damage to the vehicle was reported.

The television station reports that the prosecutor is considering a charge for the theft of the fire truck.

She was released from jail after posting bond.

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