A patient, who stole an ambulance to get home faster, is now heading to prison. Patience is a virtue to some and David Joseph Karosus is not one of those people.
In November of 2015, Karosus was taken to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania after he suffered a leg injury. Karosus, who has zero patience, rushed to the emergency room where hospital staff started caring for his leg.
At some point, the 56-year-old man was left alone in the room, and he got angry and decided to leave. Eager to get back to his house and not having a vehicle, the patient came up with the following plan – steal an ambulance.
Karosus was in luck because he immediately spotted an ambulance with no driver that was left running outside the emergency room. The ambulance had just transported a sick person to Geisinger Wyoming Valley Hospital.
Without hesitation, Karosus got in the ambulance and drove off thinking he was going to get away with the crime. Within minutes, using a GPS device in the ambulance, police were able to locate it.
Authorities tracked the ambulance down, and Karosus was pulled over on Interstate 84. The man was arrested around 4 AM and charged with theft. Officials said at the time:
“David Karosus of Carbondale, 55, was arraigned Sunday morning before Magisterial District Judge Joseph Carmody on felony counts of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property, and a summary count of driving with a suspended license. He was sent to Luzerne County Correctional Facility in lieu of $10,000 bail.”
Talking to the police, Karosus explained why he left the hospital:
“While in the hospital, the staff was f*cking around with my leg. I saw the ambulance crew bring a patient into the emergency room and said, f*ck it, and took the ambulance to go home.”
Police stated Karosus also showed remorse for his behavior and said he knew he was not authorized to take the emergency vehicle owned by Kingston Ambulance. In May, Karosus, of Mill Street, Carbondale, appeared in court where he pleaded guilty to theft and driving with a suspended license.
Wednesday, Karosus was back in court where he was sentenced to 15 to 30 months in a state prison by a Luzerne County judge. Judge Tina Polachek Gartley ordered Karosus to have no unlawful contact with Kingston Ambulance.
Here is a report on a similar story.
