RAUL RIVERO
WUSA
Reprinted with Permission

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA (WUSA) - A spokesperson for the Loudoun County Sheriffs'Department says that a late night joyride in a fire truck led to the arrest early Saturday morning of a volunteer firefighter.


The spokesperson says that on March 5, 2011, shortly after 2:00 AM, Sean Richard Swanson, 27, a volunteer firefighter with Co. 5 in Hamilton, was driving the company's 1989 Pierce Lance pumper truck eastbound on Harmony Church Rd (Rt 704) near Canby Rd (Rt 662) at a high rate of speed.

A Loudoun patrol deputy heading toward the truck had to veer into the ditch to avoid a collision. The deputy turned around and stopped the vehicle at Woodburn Rd (Rt 769).

According to the spokesperson, Swanson was given a series of field sobriety tests and then placed under arrest. He was transported to the Loudoun Adult Detention Center, where he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle. Later in the afternoon he was released on his own recognizance.

The Sheriff's Office says there were four additional passengers in the fire truck, all of them identified as volunteers within the Loudoun Co. Fire-Rescue system. All four had been drinking. They were released to a sober driver and the truck was released to a supervisor from the fire company.

The incident remains under investigation. Deputies will consult with the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office to consider any additional charges.