A teen in my adopted hometown of Beaumont, Texas, obviously did not stay awake in Joyriding 101 class. At least he forgot the part that says if you are going to steal an automobile and go joyriding, make sure that you are able to drive it.
This kid stole the Beaumont Fire Department’s most expensive truck, a quint with an aerial ladder, and took it for a joyride before flipping it on its side.
The theft happened at an apartment fire on what was the very last day for retiring Fire Chief Mickey Bertrand. After this incident, the recent tumultuous contract negotiations between the city and Beaumont’s firefighters union, and the outgoing chief’s suspension for condoning an assistant chief’s purchase of tobacco products for overworked firefighters during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, it wouldn’t be surprising if Bertrand is breathing a sigh of relief to be leaving.