02/17/12 South Bend, IN – Drunk Civilian Employee Steals Fully Marked South Bend Squad Car – Drives Around For Three Hours Before Wrecking It

February 17, 2012

wsbt.com

A man is accused of taking a fully-marked squad car from the South Bend city garage and driving it around for three hours before wrecking it.

Police arrested 27-year-old Chad Hiatt Friday morning. He’s been booked into the St. Joseph County Jail for criminal conversion – stealing the car and drunk driving.

We’ve learned Hiatt is a civilian employee at the police department. He works in the department’s computer Imaging Lab – meaning he works with the computers and cameras inside the squad cars as well as with crime scene photos.

A Police department spokesman told WSBT Hiatt stole the car around 12:30 Friday morning and crashed it on Crumstown Highway around 3:30 a.m.

He ended up getting a ride, but police say Hiatt confessed everything to a lieutenant around 5:30 a.m. morning and was booked into the St. Joseph County Jail.