Dummy Missiles, Driver Found

A truck driver and the four dummy Air Force missiles he had been carrying were found 300 miles apart on Friday. The man reportedly didn’t know what he was carrying and dumped it when his contractor refused to pay him more money.

The driver, Ronald D. Coy of Middletown, Ohio, put up no resistance and was unarmed when he was found at a truck stop in the town of Orange near the Louisiana line, FBI agent Robert Loosle said.

Coy, 42, was arrested and charged with wire fraud. He was due to be arraigned today before a federal magistrate in Beaumont.

The Houston Chronicle, citing unnamed sources familiar with the search, reported Saturday that Coy spent all his cash during the trip, then called his transportation company seeking more money.

He dropped the cargo when they refused, apparently unaware of what he was hauling and hoping to find another cargo elsewhere, the sources said.

The Middletown (Ohio) Journal reported that Barbara Coy, the driver’s wife, indicated her husband had financial problems when she filed a missing persons report on him Jan. 11.

The missiles were recovered in Ranger, 110 miles west of Dallas. “We believe the crates are still sealed and intact,” said Air Force spokesman Maj. Rob Koon.