ICYMI: Accused Fire Truck Thief: 'Someone Was After Me'

DALLAS, GA -- The man who authorities say stole a Paulding County fire truck on Monday told them someone was after him and he stole the rescue vehicle to get away.

Zachary Lee Paulk, 27, was taken to Paulding Wellstar Hospital for toxicology testing after what the Sheriff's office is calling a joy ride that did hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage.

Witnesses said they never saw anyone trying to follow him.

At 9:55 a.m. Monday, Paulding County Fire Dispatch began receiving unauthorized transmissions over the department's secure radio network.

At about the same time, the 911 center reportedly started getting calls reporting a fire department vehicle driving erratically and at high speeds, damaging several road signs and mailboxes and crossing into oncoming traffic.

The sheriff's office said in a Facebook post that Paulk forced his way into Fire Station No. 3, on Mount Tabor Church Road in Dallas, got the keys to a rescue truck and drove it through a bay door, totally destroying it.

He drove down Mount Tabor Church Road, "leaving a path of destruction behind him," the sheriff's office said.

He hit multiple road signs, mail boxes and other utilities along the way.

Ultimately, authorities say Paulk struck a red pickup truck on Bobo Road, causing the fire truck to go airborne before coming to a stop.

Witnesses told sheriff's deputies that Paulk then tried to steal an SUV before he was confronted by the owner.

He hid in a garage, authorities say, but surrendered to deputies without incident when they arrived.

"During the course of this incident, there were hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to both county property as well as personal property," the sheriff's office said in the post. "Luckily, no one was injured during this rampage."

Paulk was being held at Paulding County Jail on Tuesday and faces a host of felony charges.