You may have been drunk. But have you ever been steal a work truck from Yellowstone National Park and attempt to go on a joy ride drunk? No?! Well, guess it's just this guy then.
A Virginia man is in deep trouble after allegedly stealing a Yellowstone truck on Saturday August 10. The incident happened near Old Faithful. Now the man is facing federal charges.
According to 7 KBZK, Alan Bowling of Virginia went to the Old Faithful Upper General Store on Saturday afternoon. He wanted to buy some beer at the store. The only problem? Bowing allegedly didn't have means of paying for the beer. All of his cards were declined. So instead, he left the general store. That's when opportunity allegedly came calling. Bowling allegedly hopped into a Yellowstone Park Service Station heavy wrecker and went for a ride.
Bowling and the Yellowstone vehicle left the Old Faithful Lodge and went the wrong direction down a one-way road. They then went off-road and ended up near both a post office and believe it not, a ranger station.
Man Goes On Joyride At Yellowstone
It just wasn't the man's lucky day. Rangers chased after Bowling on foot and eventually had to pull their guns to detain the man. They demanded that he identify himself. Of course the man wasn't done playing the fool yet.
"Nathan Patterson, undisclosed United States Marshal," he allegedly said. "I needed the truck to get to the United States Marshal's headquarters."
Rangers reported that Bowling already smelled of alcohol. They believed he was intoxicated. Authorities took him to Yellowstone jail. At the jailhouse, he refused a sobriety test as well as to comply with a blood warrant. Authorities say that Bowling bowled the heavy wrecker through a wooden fence. The vehicle stopped 183 feet from the roadway, creating a scene of chaos.
The man is facing some stiff charges. In total, authorities have him on nine charges. These include destruction of federal property as well as DUI and disorderly conduct. He pled not guilty. The rangers turned him over to the U.S. Marshals. We'll see if they buy his Marshal act.
