PHOTOS/VIDEO: A Waubay Fire Volunteer Department fire truck was reported stolen and later recovered, but with significant damage, earlier this week. This incident led to the arrest and charging of Jeremiah Nathaniel Shepherd, 19, of Browns Valley, Minnesota.
According to court documents, the incident occurred on or about July 21, 2025, in Day County, South Dakota. The Waubay Fire Department reported the theft of the truck on July 20, 2025, at approximately 9:13 a.m., stating it had been taken from Main Street and 3rd Avenue between 1:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. on the same day. The truck has been sitting there because of a fundraiser steak dinner for the fire department the night before.
Day County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the report. Deputy Kolby Weinberg obtained security footage from Jorgenson Meat Processing and Waubay City Hall, which showed the stolen fire truck being driven with its red and blue lights activated. The footage also showed the vehicle parking in a grass lot at 122 Railway Avenue in Waubay, with the driver exiting and entering a nearby house.
Deputies spoke with two individuals who identified the driver as “Jerry” or Jeremiah and later provided the last name Shepherd. Further investigation revealed that Jeremiah Shepherd had been cited by a Roberts County Deputy for underage consumption of alcohol around 6:00 AM on July 20, 2025, approximately two miles from where the stolen fire truck was later found crashed in a ditch.
