A man in Church Hill, Tennessee, was arrested and charged with felony theft and felony vandalism after stealing a semi truck. The reason he did it? He wanted to prove he could drive one.
According to Kingsport Times-News, the vehicle was stolen from a vacant lot at the intersection of Highway 11-W and South Central Avenue sometime between Friday night and Saturday morning.
On Saturday morning, police received a phone call from the truck’s owner, Ken Harmon, who reported the 1997 Volvo truck stolen.
In a police report, Church Hill Police Department Officer Dustin Dean said he observed “skid marks on the pavement where the truck was driven away and the rear emergency brake was still engaged.”
At around 3 p.m., the thief returned the bobtail Volvo truck to the lot where it was originally parked. Police arrested the driver of the stolen truck, identified as 20-year-old Christopher Dakota Tunnell.
“I asked Mr. Tunnell if he had permission from anyone to take the truck,” Officer Dean said. “He stated ‘No, I have always been told I could never drive one, so I walked down here this morning and took it to see if I could drive it.’”
The truck’s owner says the rear tires suffered severe damage due to the brakes being engaged. It will cost several thousand dollars in repairs before the truck can be placed back in service he says.
Turnell was charged with felony theft and felony vandalism and is being held on a $20,000 bond.