A monster truck that stands 11 feet tall was not, in fact, made for off-roading.
Police confirm the truck was stolen early Friday from a parking lot in Plano and driven back into thick brush in an area of DeSoto, where it was dumped with a broken wheel. The truck is worth $100,000 to $150,000.
Police are looking for suspects, and if found, that person or persons could face a second-degree felony charge because the vehicle is worth more than $100,000. A second-degree felony charge could come with two to 20 years in jail.
But how did someone steal this giant vehicle in the first place, then get away without being spotted? Police have looked at surveillance video and are testing the truck for evidence, says David Tilley, city of Plano public information officer.
"It's not often you see an 11-foot truck driving down the roadway," he says. They hope to get more tips about this easy-to-spot truck's whereabouts in the wee hours of Friday morning.
Dallas Hale, co-owner of the vehicle and also co-owner of Addison bar the Back 9 and the restaurant Shell Shack, says the thief or thieves stole about $20,000 worth of stereo equipment. Given the damage to the wheel, he believes the person who was driving the car probably didn't know how difficult it is to operate.
"It was not made for four-wheeling; it was made for looks," Hale says.
The owners "never thought in a million years somebody would be able to steal it. It's such a big piece."
It was driven so far back in the woods that Hale drove by the area eight times based on a tip from someone who called the Back 9 bar before he spotted the electric blue and black truck.
The parking lot it was stolen from is the site of Hale and his partner Matt Saba's second Shell Shack restaurant, at W. Park Boulevard and the Dallas North Tollway in Plano. The truck was parked there to draw attention to the new restaurant, slated to open next month.
"Matt and I never thought in a million years somebody would be able to steal it. It's such a big piece. It's so hard to drive," Hale says. "We were real surprised somebody took it, then got it all the way to DeSoto."
They're getting estimates this week to see how much it will cost to repair the vehicle.
Hat tip to CraveDFW, who spotted the news first.
