Former New Mexico Corrections Officer arrested in Phoenix after stealing an ambulance and crashing it
Police say she was “impaired”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
Grace Vicente, a 24-year-old former sergeant for the New Mexico Correctional Facility in Grants, is accused of driving a stolen ambulance while impaired in Phoenix, leading to a crash that injured another driver.
Vicente resigned from her position on Aug. 31, four days after the incident.
Police said Vicente got behind the wheel of an ambulance in Phoenix. The vehicle was running but had no key inside.
Phoenix police said Vicente sped away for about two miles before crashing into a pickup truck. The driver of the truck,was taken to the hospital but was not seriously hurt.
Prosecutors said Vicente passed out while driving the ambulance.
A Phoenix Firefighters Union spokesman explained why the ambulance was running without a key.
“We can’t just, the second someone leaves the cab of a vehicle, turn it off and lock it, it’s just not feasible in the emergency environments that we operate in,” the spokesman said.
