Councilman Chases Down Horse Thieves

A UK Councilman did ‘more than his civic duty’ when he chased a horse thief for more than five miles.

Alex Stevenson, a councillor in Derbyshire, UK, was in his Land Rover at a local market when two men ran over saying their horsebox had been stolen. Inside were three valuable racehorses.

Mr Stevenson and the two men followed the horsebox down miles of winding country roads, often at speeds of more than 60mph.

According to the Derby Telegraph:

Police said the owners had been returning home from races at Matlock, where one of the horses had done well, and had stopped at the French Horn pub to use the toilet.

When they came out they saw the horsebox being driven away and appealed to Mr Stevenson, 41, for help.

Mr Stevenson said: “I went off after the horsebox down the A610.”

Mr Stevenson’s wife had watched him drive off and feared the worst.

He said: “I was on the phone to the police the whole time so my wife couldn’t get hold of me. She thought I had been car-jacked and called the police as well!”

Although the thief was initially captured, he managed to break free and run away.

The councillor, who represents Shipley Park, Horsley and Horsley Woodhouse ward, said: “I wasn’t scared but the horses were.

“They were foaming at the mouth and everything – presumably because they had been banged about so much.”

A police spokesman said Mr Stevenson had “done more than his civic duty”.