Man accused of stealing Phelps Health ambulance charged

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A man accused of stealing an ambulance from Phelps Health Hospital in Rolla on Thursday has been charged.

Jason Johnson, 44, of Bland, Missouri, was charged on Friday with first-degree tampering with a motor vehicle and aggravated fleeing. He is being held at the Phelps County Jail.

According to the probable cause statement, the ambulance was going to be used to bring a patient to another hospital “for a higher level of care” when Johnson took it.

The statement says that Johnson drove the ambulance on Interstate 44 while evading law enforcement. Johnson allegedly weaved in and out of traffic while going 10-18 miles over the speed limit, the statement says.

A Thursday press release from Phelps Health says law enforcement used spike strips to stop the vehicle in St. James.