Charges have been filed against a suspect accused of stealing an ambulance in Rockford, fleeing from police and traveling through McHenry County before being captured in Chicago.
John C. Kimbrell, 30, of Naperville, was charged in Cook County Circuit Court with one count of possession of a stolen vehicle and one count of fleeing or attempting to elude an officer.
Kimbrell was additionally charged in Winnebago County Circuit Court with one count of theft by unauthorized control over $500,000, a Class 1 felony.
The Rockford Police Department responded around 6:15 p.m. on December 17 to Rosecrance Harrison Campus, 3815 Harrison Avenue in Rockford, for a stolen vehicle report.
A yellow ambulance with Superior Ambulance Service was stolen allegedly by Kimbrell from the addiction treatment center.
An alert was broadcast to area police departments throughout northern Illinois area to be on the lookout for the vehicle.
The alert said the suspect in the stolen ambulance fled from officers at one point.
The ambulance was spotted eastbound on Interstate 90 passing Route 23, south of Marengo, in McHenry County shortly after.
The ambulance was later tracked to eastbound Interstate 290 at 25th Avenue and had its lights activated.
The ambulance passed Central Avenue and numerous police squads located it and attempted to stop it.
The ambulance was reportedly driving recklessly and it exited Interstate 290 at Western Avenue in Chicago.
The Chicago Police Department said they were notified about the stolen vehicle and assisted the Rockford Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office after the male offender fled from Rockford police in the private ambulance.
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office observed the vehicle near the 700 block of North Homan Avenue in Chicago and conducted a traffic stop, police officials said.
Officers placed Kimbrell into custody around 7:50 p.m. He later appeared in Cook County Circuit Court and was released with pre-trial conditions.
The Rockford Police Department refused to release any information on the incident. A request for comment from Superior Ambulance Service went unanswered.
Lake and McHenry County Scanner obtained Kimbrell’s arrest information after filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
Kimbrell appeared for his first court hearing in Winnebago County on Monday and is scheduled to appear in court again on January 28.