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Va. firefighter accused of taking drunken fire truck joyride

The sheriff’s office says four other volunteer firefighters who also had been drinking were in the truck with him

The Associated Press

HAMILTON, Va. — Authorities in Virginia say a volunteer firefighter is accused of taking a fire truck on a drunken joyride and nearly smashing into a deputy’s patrol car.

The Loudoun County Sheriff’s office says in a press release that 27-year-old Sean Richard Swanson, a volunteer firefighter in Hamilton, was speeding down a road early Saturday morning in the fire truck. The sheriff’s office says four other volunteer firefighters who also had been drinking were in the truck with Swanson.

The release says a deputy had to veer into a ditch to avoid hitting the truck.

The deputy turned around and pulled over the truck. Swanson was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and unauthorized use of a vehicle.

A phone message left at a listing for Swanson was not immediately returned Sunday.