PACIFIC POWER UTILITY TRUCK STOLEN; LINEMAN IN BUCKET THROWN 25 FEET, SUFFERS MAJOR INJURIES

Law enforcement authorities are looking for a woman who stole a Pacific Power utility truck while a worker was in the truck’s elevated bucket repairing a power line in the Siskiyou County town of Happy Camp early Friday morning.

“We have a good idea who we’re looking for,” said Tim Lawson, a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol.

He said an “agitated, angry, incoherent” woman walked up to a white Ford F550 bucket truck on Indian Creek Road about 3:30 a.m. Friday. The lineman was in the boom near the top of a pole repairing the power line, officers said.

The woman got into the truck and tried to start the engine, although the worker initially prevented it from starting by using a remote kill switch while in the lift bucket, officers said.

But after several tries, the woman successfully started the truck and, despite pleas from the employee, drove off, officers said. The worker was thrown 25 feet to the ground, suffering major injuries, officers said.

Lawson described the suspect as a Native American woman with a light complexion, around 5-foot-3 and 130 pounds. She’s missing her two front teeth, he said.

The officer wouldn’t name the suspect, although he said she is known to frequent the Happy Camp and Orleans areas.

He said officers haven’t established a motive.

The worker suffered serious injuries and is at Rogue Valley Medical Center in Medford, Ore. He is expected to recover, Lawson said.

Officers are looking for the woman and the truck, which was last seen traveling west through Happy Camp.

They encourage anyone with information to call the CHP at 530-841-6000.

Officers said they are pursuing several leads to find the vehicle.

Pacific Power is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect and the recovery of the vehicle.