Stolen fire truck taken for joy ride

WALTON, Ind. (Kokomo Tribune) - A fire truck from the Walton Community Fire Department was taken for a joy ride late Wednesday by three individuals not on the fire department, 24-Hour News 8 news partner, the Kokomo Tribune , reports.

Nineteen-year-olds Benjamin Allen Miller of Walton and Justin Bryce Corn of Chalmers face charges of auto theft, a Class D felony, and criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor. Twenty-one-year old Aaron Scott Richardson of Walton faces a charge of assisting a criminal, a Class D felony.

A Walton firefighter spotted the truck on the road before midnight and pursued a chase with the Cass County Sheriff Department to catch it. Cass County Sheriff Randy Pryor said the truck stopped along County Road 950 South and the two occupants fled into a cornfield.

Richardson, accused of dropping them off at the station, surrendered at 3:01 a.m. Thursday. Corn walked out of the cornfield about 40 minutes later after Pryor reached him on his cell phone. Miller turned himself into the sheriff's department about four hours later.

Pryor said all three men had been drinking.

Investigators believe one of the individuals knew the code to the building because there was no sign of forced entry into the fire department.

The three individuals will appear in Cass Superior Court Tuesday morning for an initial hearing.