Man arrested in connection with theft of ambulance in Charleston, police say

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — The Charleston Fire Department ambulance a man is charged with stealing was idling outside of the hospital when it was taken.

Charleston police said Christopher Allen Werhle Jr., 29, is charged with grand larceny auto and destruction of property.

The arrest comes after an ambulance was stolen about 11 p.m. Monday from Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital.

"They had offloaded the patient. Our triage area is just inside the doors, so they were standing there when they realized their ambulance was pulling out," EMS Operations Director Lt. David Hodges said.

The ambulance was sitting outside the hospital's emergency room entrance along Washington Street, as many do each day.

"The vehicle was idling,” Hodges said. “That's a common practice at emergency rooms. When we do drop vehicles off, a lot of our pharmaceuticals and equipment in the ambulances are heat or weather sensitive, so the vehicle was idling at the time."

Charleston police said the same man damaged a police cruiser that was parked outside of CAMC.

"It's just located on the windshield specifically. We're not sure what he used to bust the windshield, but the windshield will have to be replaced,” Deputy Chief Scott Dempsey said.

After driving the ambulance a few miles down Washington Street, police said Werhle jumped out of the ambulance near the Greyhound bus station. He was later found on Leon Sullivan Way. No patients were inside the ambulance when it was stolen.

Werhle has been arraigned on the charges and is currently being held in the South Central Regional Jail on a $5,000 cash only bond. A preliminary hearing will be held within 10 days.

It's not the first time an ambulance has been taken in the Kanawha Valley. The Charleston Fire Department's vehicles have been stolen a few times in past years.

Hodges said it was the only one in their fleet susceptible to theft because it was recently purchased and not equipped with the necessary security measures.

"We do have anti-theft devices,” Hodges said. “Unfortunately, this new vehicle did not have its installed yet."

When installed, vehicles with anti-theft won't shift into gear for anyone other than those trained to operate them. Hodges confirmed the other ambulances have anti-theft devices installed, and said the fire department will issue vehicle safety reminders to all staff.