A photo from the scene on Interstate 5 Dec. 27 where a Kelso man allegedly stole a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue ambulance and took off southbound on the interstate
A Kelso man is in Cowlitz County Jail following the theft of an ambulance responding to a residence in the city, leading to a high-speed chase down Interstate 5 late last month.
On Dec. 27 the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office announced it had arrested Cody Snow, 31, alleging he stole a Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue ambulance responding to a medical call at a residence on Sierra Drive in Kelso. According to the announcement Snow lived at the residence and entered the vehicle when it was unoccupied, driving away with it.
Law enforcement later located the ambulance traveling southbound in Interstate 5 with its emergency lights on, according to the sheriff’s office. The ambulance avoided Washington State Patrol troopers and Cowlitz County Sheriff’s deputies, using all lanes of travel and going at speeds of 80 to 90 miles per hour.
A WSP trooper used spike strips to deflate the ambulance’s tires, the Sheriff’s Office stated, with the vehicle pulling into a median at milepost 24 and becoming stuck on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks.
Snow was located inside of the ambulance but would not leave, the Sheriff’s Office stated, requiring the use of a police dog to remove him from the vehicle. Snow was taken into custody without further incident.
Inside the ambulance were several controlled medications as well as belongings from one of the Cowlitz 2 employees, the announcement stated, and the vehicle had to be taken out of service for inspection.
Snow was booked into Cowlitz County Jail on charges of motor vehicle theft, eluding law enforcement, second-degree theft and malicious mischief, third-degree driving with a suspended license and a violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
— The Reflector
