Police say a 63-year-old Ponte Vedra Beach man was arrested Friday after he allegedly drove off in a marked Jacksonville Beach Police Department K-9 patrol truck from the department’s secured rear lot, with the agency’s dog and department-issued firearms still inside. Officers later found the truck, pulled it over and took the driver into custody without incident.
According to News4JAX, surveillance video shows the man arriving at the station at about 8:06 p.m., slipping into the secured rear lot through an open gate and climbing into a marked 2021 Ford F-150. He then left the area and parked in the department’s front lot for roughly 13 minutes. Officers later spotted the truck and conducted a traffic stop at about 8:32 p.m. on 19th Street South, according to the report. Police said department-issued firearms were inside the vehicle when it was taken.
K-9 and patrol truck recovered
The K-9, Furyk, a Belgian Malinois valued at about $15,000, was found safe when officers recovered the patrol truck, which police estimated to be worth roughly $40,000. “After being read his Miranda rights, the man acknowledged he had trespassed on police property and taken the vehicle,” News4JAX reports.
Suspicion of intoxication and family concerns
Officers noted signs of intoxication and listed cocaine as a drug of abuse in the arrest report, and investigators said the man’s daughter had recently reported a concerning decline in his mental condition. He was booked into the county jail on charges that include burglary of a conveyance while armed, theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft and trespassing on posted law enforcement property. No injuries were reported.
What officials are checking now
The department did not immediately say how the gate ended up open or whether its storage procedures could change as a result of the incident. The City of Jacksonville Beach provides police contact information and records-request instructions on its website, City of Jacksonville Beach, where residents can find the department’s address and records procedures.
Legal outlook
The charges listed in the arrest report are felonies that will move through Duval County’s criminal court system. Details on court dates, bail and any formal filings are expected to appear in county records as the case progresses.
