Stolen truck ends up in Joplin city pool

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- An unidentified car thief made a splash, driving a new Ford pickup truck from a dealer's lot into the deep end of a city pool.

Joplin officials were forced to close the pool for two to three days for cleaning after draining it to remove the 2007 model truck Wednesday.

Police said the truck crashed through a fence around the pool about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday

Witnesses reported seeing a middle-aged man jump out of the vehicle and leave the scene on foot. The truck was reported stolen by a local dealership about half an hour after it was found in the pool.

"It didn't float," said Cpl. Chuck Niess of the Joplin Police Department.

Patrons were left high and dry during the repair work at Ewert Park Aquatic Center.

"I'm mad," said Mariah Hutchinson, 13, of Joplin. "I was excited to go swimming."

"Yeah," said her sister Sierra, 15. "We had to walk up here, and now we're hot."

Officials with the Parks and Recreation Department hope to have the pool reopened in time for the weekend. Two other city pools remain open.

"This is my 35th year in this business, and this is my first truck in a pool," said Jerry Calvin, director of the department. "I hope it will be my last."