Gilbert Strode Suspected Of Stealing 700-Pound Casket Vault, Leading Kentucky Cops On Chase

Theft From The Dead Leads To High-Speed Chase

A Kentucky man stole from the dead, and now he'll live out his next few days in jail.

Police say Gilbert Strode, 52, pilfered a newly delivered, 700-pound metal burial vault that was intended to be used for a funeral this week, the New York Daily News reports. He allegedly led cops on a high-speed chase as he raced down Bracken County streets with the casket vault in the back of his truck.

Bracken County Sheriff's deputies received an anonymous tip from a witness on Monday night that Strode attempted to sell the vault. Police pursued Strode, who was likely trying to sell the metal as scrap, LEX 18 reports.

Strode realized he was being chased in Augusta and took off, though the vault eventually fell from his truck, deputies told the Daily News. Strode was apprehended in Mason County, and allegedly maintained that he purchased the vault himself.

Police charged Strode with wanton endangerment, evading police, speeding and receiving stolen property. He was held at the Mason County Detention Center on a $2,500 bond.

The vault was replaced just in time for the funeral.

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