Timmens gets probation in fire truck theft

A 26-year-old Sidney man was sentenced in Cheyenne County District Court on Tuesday morning for stealing a U.S. Forest Service fire truck last September and driving it from Chadron to Sidney.

As part of a plea agreement, Aaron Timmens pleaded guilty last month to a single count of theft by unlawful taking, a Class IV felony.

Timmens served 18 days in custody after he was arrested at Legion Park in Sidney on Sept. 28, 2014.

On Tuesday, Cheyenne District Court Judge Derek Weimer ordered Timmens to make full restitution for damage caused when he drove the fire engine through a locked gate at a Forest Service property in Chadron. Timmens was also ordered to serve three years of probation and 48 days in Cheyenne County Jail. However, Weimer ordered the time Timmens served in custody after his arrest to count against the sentence, and the remaining 30 days were suspended.

Trevor Perkins, who represented Timmens, told the court his client was remorseful for what he did. Perkins added he didn't lead anyone on a police chase and was willing to own up to his mistake.

Timmens had already saved $500 to pay down what he owes, the lawyer said. Full restitution was set at nearly $8,500.

When Weimer asked if Timmens wanted to say anything, he stood and addressed the court.

"I'm remorseful for what I did," he said. "I've learned from my mistake."

Weimer said after evaluating the case, he determined probation was appropriate. But he added, "What you did was exceptionally foolish."

According to court documents, Timmens stole the fire truck after midnight on Sept. 28 and drove to Sidney because of family issues he wanted to attend to. He climbed over a fence at the Forest Service complex and saw keys in the 2012 fire truck, which he then drove through a lfence and locked gate.

At the time, he had recently returned to Nebraska from Missouri to be a National Guardsman in Chadron, a probable cause affidavit stated.

The Forest Service reported the vehicle had been stolen by a National Guardsman who had gone absent without leave.

The Sidney Police Department received a report the fire truck had been spotted in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Sidney in the early morning hours on Sunday.

Following an investigation, an officer discovered the truck parked near Motel 6. After speaking with acquaintances of Timmens', police found him and a woman whom he was known to be in a relationship with at Legion Park in Sidney.

Timmens was arrested and told police he had come to Sidney to protect his girlfriend who had received threats on Facebook.

At Tuesday's sentencing, Perkins said his client was no longer in a relationship with the woman.