‘I’m dying’: Patient’s plea revealed in ambulance theft charges
By Mariana La Roche
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WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wisconsin (WISN) — A Stevens Point man faces charges of stealing a Wisconsin Rapids ambulance with a patient still in the back, then running from police in a chase that ended in a muddy corn field, according to a criminal complaint in Wood County Circuit Court.
Benjamin L. Feltz, 37, is accused of taking the ambulance and is charged with first-degree recklessly endangering safety, operating a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, attempting to flee or elude an officer and operating while under the influence (third offense), court records show.
Two emergency medical services workers told police they were dispatched for a medical call and were in the back of the ambulance when they heard a door close and saw a man they believed was nude in the driver’s seat, according to the complaint. They yelled, “What are you doing?” “Get out!” and “Stop.” but the ambulance drove off anyway
An officer spotted the ambulance and tried to stop it, but the driver did not pull over and a pursuit began, the complaint says. Authorities said the chase ran about 18.29 miles and reached speeds “in excess of 90mph” before the ambulance became stuck in a muddy corn field.
The patient in the ambulance told an officer she screamed at the driver, “You (expletive), I’m dying from kidney disease,” and said she feared for her life, the complaint says.
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