OLD TOWN, Maine — Police have recovered a gold Ford pickup that was “stolen” from the Governor’s Restaurant parking lot on Thanksgiving morning.
The truck’s owner told police he left the 2006 F-150 extended cab unlocked and running for less than five minutes while he ran inside the restaurant on Stillwater Avenue to pick up a food order.
When he came out shortly after 10 a.m., his truck was gone, Old Town police Sgt. Mike Hashey said late Thursday morning.
An elderly Old Town woman left the restaurant shortly after the driver of the Ford walked in and reportedly confused the truck for her own vehicle. She hopped in and drove it home. Hashey said the woman owns a similar vehicle.
Police interviewed Governor’s employees and patrons, but no one noticed the woman drive off with the truck. The Old Town Governor’s does not have surveillance cameras with a view of the parking lot area, Hashey said.
Residents and police agencies were asked to be on the lookout for the missing truck.
A friend of the woman called police to report where the vehicle was. The truck was taken to Old Town Police Department, where the owner was expected to pick it up.
No charges were filed in connection with the incident, Hashey said.
its been recovered
you never leave keys in a car and the car running not these days in maine you are asking for to have your car stolen big time crime has hit maine
Not in Maine, not anywhere. Good grief, how long does it take to shut off, and later, start up the vehicle? The driver’s insurance company is NOT going to be happy about this. That aisde, I hope he gets the truck back quickly and undamaged.
The insurance company isn’t going to know unless the guy reports it. Why he would do that, considering he has it back, would make no sense.
Big time confused old lady you mean.
Besides criminals, it is an invitation to an UNDERage, non-driver to try their luck…
Don’t leave vehicles running, ever, and not keys inside either.
Dumb and clueless people don’t understand why they could be held liable for what some kid does with the vehicle.
And, the worest thing of all was that there were Holiday gifts for needy deaf children in the cab of the truck.
That’s a joke, right? No, the ‘worest thing of all’ was leaving a vehicle unlocked in running in Old Town. No need to add your morbid fascination to the mix. LOL
I want to know where was her keys to her truck?Or mabye she thought she left it running the whole time she was in the restaurant. She must have CRS…
Lots of people suffer from that from time to time.
Shouldn’t be too hard to spot, then…
That was a silly thing to do. Probably thought no one would steal a running dented gold F150.
Ironically, nobody did. According to the story, it was a mistake.
When I posted that, the culprit hadn’t been found yet.
If his keys weren’t in it, she’d have found hers didn’t fit and moved on to lucidity and others would’ve just moved on. :)
Sounds like a bait car episode, but, guess not.
Oh yea, she needs to keep her license for sure,,,
My thoughts as well. If this Lady got that confused she shouldn’t be on the road. Sounds more like Dementia than confusion.
Is that your professional diagnosis? People get anxious and confused without having dementia.
Anxious and confused people shouldn’t be in command of a 2-ton vehicle…regardless of the underlying cause.
Is that so? Is that your professional assessment? Was she in the midst of an anxiety attack that rendered unable to physically drive? Or was the woman simply in a hurry and made a simple mistake.
I think she made a simple mistake and that’s all there is to it. So many are too anxious to rip the keys out of the hands of the older set.
I was parked next to a mini van a few years back at a local restaurant while waiting for the rest of my family. My teenage son was in the back seat as well. A women about thirty years old walked up to the van put her kids inside. opened my passenger door and got in. She just sat down when she realized what she had done and was so embarassed. My son said, “lucky Mom didn’t come out right then, you would have been so dead”. I myself have walked up to another vehicle like my own trying to open it up. Then I look in through the windows and realize that its spotless clean :)
woops … looked just like the one she had in 2006 …. Oh well all’s well that ends well …. and the turkey was still warm ….
Yet another old cranker whose license should be pulled. There are way
too many of these people on the loose. The family should take steps to
get this old lady off the road before she mashes the gas instead of the
brake one day & kills someone.
why she didn’t have any trouble driving home.?she just thought it was hers,maybe they were next to each other.you have no idea from this story weather she should be driving or not.I have seen people in their 30s that shouldn’t be driving so age has little to do with it.
And you have no idea from this story if she had any trouble
driving home. But then, you are way smarter than I am afterall.
Be a troll someplace else. It is really unbecoming and stupid.
Um, yeah that’s calling the kettle black, you clown.
I’ve also seen 30 year olds driving who shouldn’t be, but you seem to be comparing apples to oranges. The 30 year olds would have the proper mental functions to quickly realize they had gotten into the wrong vehicle, whereas the elderly woman did not seem to realize – at any point – what she had done.
I’ve seen 30 somethings that don’t know what day it is or the time. What’s your point? Only OLD people get confused?
Be careful what you say and how you say it — someday YOU will be that OLD CRANKER
I doubt that…..Attitude such as his, could lead to an early demise…..
Gettin close right now! ;+)
So I assume you do not care if your license is taken away by the State? I am curious to know if you live over a grocery store so all you have to do is walk downstairs to get food for a meal — there ARE some who live so far out in small towns that they have to have a vehicle to get to the store, even for a gallon of milk!!!
That’s not fair! Leaving a car running was irresponsible. That’s true here. Other posters have said that leaves the owner open to lots of possible outcomes; not just this one that happened. They are right, the car could be taken by kids or drug addicts or someone like this person who just made a mistake.
I am not (not yet anyway) a little old lady; but I have gotten into a car outside a restaurant that looked just like my old purple van. It was pouring rain and I had my head down low with my hood pulled up around my face. I got in and sat down. When I looked at the passenger seat and saw the stuff sitting there; I KNEW it wasn’t mine. It was much EASIER to do than you might think. Don’t be too quick to judge here.
Agree with the sentiment, but not the “old cranker” statement. If she is confused at which vehicle is hers, it is certainly a sign that family members should be considering whether or not it would be dangerous for her to continue driving.
Left the key sin the truck and left it running ‘for a minute”?Just stupid,thats all..
Rocky..It is evidently that you have no respect or compassion for”old Crankers.”
Go over to the VA and say something like that and see what a welcome response you get.
You have no clue. I LOVE old crankers and dearly miss several of them
who have passed on.
Oh get over yourself for crissakes. My dad is 88 & refers to himself
as the old cranker in the family. You must be one of those pansies
that finds something to be “offended about” everyday. I suppose
an “ethnic” joke offends you too. Sheeesh. Relax …..life is not that serious.
Does anyone else have a problem with this lady being allowed to drive?
It’s not the Senior citizens that scare me. It’s the teenagers engrossed in conversation on their cell phones while running a red light at 40 miles an hour.
No I don’t. She made a mistake on a very hectic morning. It certainly doesn’t mean she can’t drive.
Wait till you get old. See how you feel about it.
Seat in the wrong position
Radio stations different
Not her stuff in the cabin
Still drove all the way home, completely oblivious.
I do…OMG
Muy comico!
She needs to stop driving…..
I mistakenly came out of Walmart once and got into a car that looked exactly like mine, Until I noticed there was a young pretty woman sitting in the passenger seat. We both laughed it off, we even exchanged names and later that night she sent me a friend request on facebook. We have been dating ever since. :) Sometimes mistakes DO pay off in other ways.
Sometimes there is a pleasant pay off. My brother in law was waiting outside a mall in Florida for the women folk when he was ordered at gunpoint to get out. Him and the car were found 6 weeks later in Rhode Island with 4 new tires, battery, spotless with a full tank of gas! He bought it back from Insurance for pennies on the dollar.
Why are some of you people so quick to take away an older person license? I have seen young and middle aged people drive terrible and make much worse mistakes then this the lady made a mistake nobody got hurt no damage was done get over it. I myself have tried to get into the wrong car, had a man get into my car and tried to drive away until I said something.