Police: Drunk Man in Illinois Steals and Wrecks Forklift in ‘Joyride’

Police in Champaign and Urbana, Ill., say a Kankakee County man accused of vehicular theft has admitted drinking heavily and taking drugs before he took off on what must have been one of the slower joyrides on record.

The arraigned man, 38-year-old Daniel Wedig of Bourbonnais, is accused of stealing a forklift from a Champaign construction site early in the morning on April 15 and driving it to Urbana. Police say that despite the slow speed of the vehicle, Wedig managed to wreck it by hitting a street sign and a telephone pole.

He then sought treatment at a local hospital for alcohol and drug intoxication.

Wedig has been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and theft over $10,000. Police also say he had no proof of insurance and his driver’s license had expired.

Information from: The News-Gazette, www.news-gazette.com