MUNCIE, Ind. — A Muncie man was arrested Tuesday a short time after he had allegedly stolen an ambulance that had been parked outside IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.
Timothy Jay Godsey, 50, was taken into custody after the ambulance became stuck in mud outside a home in the 4000 block of West Cornbread Road.
The occupant of that home said Godsey had also forced his way into her house and threw a piece of firewood at her back door, shattering glass.
Authorities said Godsey about 10:50 a.m. drove off in the Eaton EMT ambulance, which had just been used to transport a patient to the cancer center at the hospital, 2401 W. University Ave.
While leaving the hospital’s parking lot, the Muncie man drove the ambulance over a curb and struck and damaged a stop sign, according to a report by a hospital police officer.
At 11:20 a.m., Muncie police and Delaware County sheriff’s deputies were informed the ambulance was stuck in mud outside a house along Cornbread Road.
The homeowner said Godsey, who reportedly said he was looking for a church, had forced his way into the house, shoved her and broke the glass in her back door.
Officers said Godsey — wearing an Eaton EMT jacket he had apparently found in the ambulance — was behind the wheel of the vehicle when they arrived, and had to be pulled out after he refused to leave the ambulance willingly.
He continued to be held in the Delaware County jail on Wednesday under a $19,500 bond, preliminarily charged with criminal mischief, leaving the scene of a traffic accident, reckless driving, residential entry, resisting law enforcement and theft.
At the time of his latest arrest, Godsey faced two charges — possession of meth and driving while suspended — filed in Delaware Circuit Court 1 last April. His trial in that case is set for Feb. 8, but will be rescheduled due to COVID restrictions imposed by the Indiana Supreme Court.