‘Like the Dukes of Hazard’: Caroline man crashes truck he stole from hospital into Spotsylvania river

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Caroline County man is facing three charges, including reckless driving, after police say he lost control of a stolen truck and crashed it into the Ni River in Spotsylvania County.

According to a press release from the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office, just before 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, its deputies were called to the area of Patriot Highway and Hickory Bridge Road for the report of a single-vehicle crash.

Once they arrived, deputies found a 2007 Ford work truck in the Ni River. According to the release, 42-year-old Keith Lee Brinkley, Jr., of Caroline, had been driving south on Patriot Highway when he lost control of the truck.

A spokesperson for the office said Brinkley provided 8News with more information on the events leading up to the crash.

“He lost control by driving off the right shoulder prior to the bridge, went air born into the river,” the spokesperson said. “Kinda like the Dukes of Hazard, minus the landing!”

According to the release, deputies learned the truck had just been stolen from a local hospital — Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center — right before the crash.

Brinkley has been charged with grand larceny auto, reckless driving and driving on a revoked license. According to the release, this is the ninth time Brinkley has been charged with driving on a revoked license.

Brinkley is now being held at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.

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