City vehicle found abandoned Saturday near Waurika Lake

March 09, 2023

The unauthorized use of a city truck ended up costing a city employee the price of a tow after the vehicle got stuck in the mud.

According to a Comanche Police Department report, the police department received a call from Jefferson County authorities at approximately 3 a.m. Saturday in relation to an abandoned City of Comanche vehicle near Waurika Lake.

When an officer arrived at the location, he was met by a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy, who had found the vehicle. It was confirmed the vehicle belonged to the city.

The keys were not in the truck and the rear wheels of the vehicle had sunk in the mud to the point the rear axle was almost touching the ground. There was also a white bumper laying on the truck.

The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and a tow truck was dispensed to the location to get the truck out of the mud and tow it back to Comanche City Hall.

City manager Chuck Ralls said the matter has been addressed.

“This was a clear violation of city policy,” Ralls said in a response to an email from the Comanche Times. “It is very unfortunate that this employee made a bad decision and put the city and our equipment at risk. This type of behavior is not typical and will not be tolerated.”

Ralls said there was no damage to the vehicle and that the employee will be covering the cost of the towing, which he was unsure of how much that was at the time of his response.