Iowa fire chief accused of drunk driving in ambulance

GRAND JUNCTION, Iowa – A central Iowa fire chief has been accused of being drunk while driving an ambulance and taking a patient to a hospital.

Greene County court records say 39-year-old Thomas Launderville is charged with operating while intoxicated, second offence. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.

A Jefferson City police officer says in the records he heard Launderville slur his words during a radio call late Friday as Launderville drove the Grand Junction ambulance and a patient to Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson. Launderville has since been dismissed as Grand Junction’s fire chief.

The records say the officer arrested Launderville at the hospital, and a breath test later showed Launderville had a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit.