While most were thankful over the Thanksgiving Holiday, law enforcement on the South Oregon Coast were “Tankful” following an event near Myer’s Creek in Curry County, Wednesday, Nov. 27. A resident there recently acquired a 1969 Chieftain Battle Tank. It was the United Kingdom’s front runner in its armored artillery division back in the ‘60’s. The truck transporting the tank to its new home; however, couldn’t climb the steep grade off of Hwy. 101. The tank was unloaded and a caretaker for its new owner, Jeffrey Glossop, of nearby Pistol River, decided he would try to maneuver the tank up the hill. He had a manual, but while climbing the steep incline, the tank slipped out of gear and rolled backwards. It went across a busy Hwy. 101, forcing vehicles to brake suddenly to avoid it. The tank then crashed through a guardrail. Glossup attempted a second effort. He got as far as a curve before it slipped out of gear again. This time it rolled backwards, down an embankment, and yes, destroyed another section of guardrail. Glossop was cited by the Oregon State Police for Reckless Driving and First-Degree Criminal Mischief. The Oregon Department of Transportation estimated damage to the guardrails at $1,500. The tank, now sitting in trees, was not damaged and later recovered.
