An ambulance golf cart used to transport injured UTC athletes was apparently stolen from Finley Stadium some time last week.
Officials were scratching their heads Saturday when they arrived for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga vs. Western Carolina football game at the stadium located on Carter Street.
Robbie Tester, vice president of operations at Erlanger, described the theft as an “odd situation,” because the cart is a highly visible all-terrain vehicle painted red, white and blue and covered in logos. Between events, the cart – valued between $30,000 and $40,000 – is stored and locked inside the stadium.
“At some point between the game the previous week and this week’s game, someone came in and took it, and that’s all we know,” Tester said. “We met with stadium staff and they’re just as puzzled by it was we are – we’re just attempting to locate it if we can.”
The vehicle is owned and operated by Erlanger Health System, which covers event medicine services at the stadium.
It was purchased in 2010 and is used about 20 times a year during football games and other events, according to Tester. It features a stretcher and ambulance bed on the back and is primarily used to safely and efficiently transport injured players across the field.
Tester said a police report for the missing vehicle was finalized Monday morning, but a spokesperson for the Chattanooga Police Department said there was not enough information to comment on the investigation as of Monday’s press deadline.