04-03-2025
Man accused of stealing CPR device from Creston Fire Department
ASHE COUNTY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man has been charged after allegedly stealing a CPR device from a local fire department, according to the Ashe County Sheriff's Office.
On Dec. 6, 2024, the Creston Fire Department reported a Lucas device was missing from one of its Quick Response Fire Trucks. A Lucas device is a portable, lifesaving mechanical chest compression system that helps perform CPR on patients in cardiac arrest.
Officials say the Lucas device is valued at $17,000 and is very important to the Creston community. 'It was heartbreaking to think they had lost such a valuable piece of their equipment,' the sheriff's office said.
After two months of investigating, a detective found the Lucas device and returned it to the fire department in working order. Subsequently, 47-year-old Travis Ryan Phillips was booked into the Ashe County Detention Center under a $10,000 secured bond and charged with:
Felony possession of stolen goods
Breaking and entering to commit larceny
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