A 63-year-old man from Ponte Vedra Beach was arrested Friday after Jacksonville Beach police said he stole a marked Jacksonville Beach Police Department K-9 patrol truck from the department’s secured lot with the police dog still inside.
According to an arrest report, surveillance video showed the man arrive at the police department around 8:06 p.m., enter the secured rear lot through an open gate and get into a marked 2021 Ford F-150 K-9 patrol truck.
Police said the video showed him leave the rear lot, return to the department’s front parking area and park for about 13 minutes before driving away.
Officers located the truck and conducted a traffic stop around 8:32 p.m. near 9th Street South, taking the man into custody without incident, the report said.
Newly released dashcam video shows the moment police pulled the suspect over. It shows an officer go to the driver side window with their gun drawn before pulling the man out of the driver seat.
Police said department-issued firearms were in the truck when it was taken.
The department’s K-9, Furyk — a Belgian Malinois valued at about $15,000 — was recovered, along with the patrol truck, which police estimated at about $40,000, according to the report.
Police noted signs of possible impairment in the report and said the man’s family had recently raised concerns about a decline in his mental condition.
He was booked into the Duval County jail on charges including burglary of a conveyance while armed, theft of a motor vehicle, grand theft and trespassing on posted law-enforcement property, according to police.
