Missing HAZMAT truck & Driver, Florida

WCJB TV 20, Gainesville FL ^ | October 2, 2001

[cgk]

Missing Truck Driver Marion County Marion County's special unit investigating terrorism is looking into the disappearance of a truck driver. His name is William Ellis and he has been missing since September 14. While Ellis has no criminal background, his truck may be a hot commodity for would be terrorists. Investigators say Ellis has no criminal background that would lead them to suspect him of wrongdoing. However, the fact that both he and his truck are missing leads investigators to keep a close eye out for their whereabouts. Right now Marion County, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the F.B.I are on the lookout for that truck. It is a Kenworth it bears the numbers 9-0-7 on the tractor and n-3-8-5-8 on the trailer. A satellite tracking device once attached to the truck is no longer sending a signal, so neither the company nor police know where it is. However, the truck is not the only thing that is suspicious about the disappearance of William Ellis. Elise's family says he has a 2-year-old daughter and would never abruptly leave for 2 weeks without word to his mom. In fact Marion county's special unit investigating terrorism is handing this case back to the missing persons division saying at this time there's no indication of danger to the public. However, they plan to keep an eye out for the truck and William Ellis.

[Lorraine]

My son is also undergoing hazing (well, they are careful not to call it that anymore). He was whisked away to the woods at an unknown location last weekend for a retreat. I was so nervous not knowing where he was going to be. Just try talking them out of this stuff though.

[AdamsPapers]

The Bahamas are a heck of a lot closer that Bermuda. The original post indicates the Bahamas.

[cactmh]

Probably a lot more here than where you live...

[Labyrinthos]

Probably a lot more here than where you live...

Where is "here?" I live a stone throw from NYC.

[World'sGoneInsane]

It is Bahamas. Someone on the other thread joked it got lost in the Bermuda Triagle, and that stuck in my mind.

[JudyB1938]

.

[World'sGoneInsane]

Pensacola

[DonnerT]

I wonder if they have checked out the dead trucker behind the service station in Vega TX?

[riri]

My grandmother in-law lives on Merritt Island and you are absolutely right. She watches the shuttle launches from her balcony.

[Soul Citizen]

As far as college campuses are concerned we need to investigate all foreign exchange students in Nuclear Engineering or Biotechnology~!

For years this has been a concern that hasn't received the recognition it desperatly needs!

[GWfan]

I think you are exactly right. Why would they use a Hazmat truck when they can use everyday materials and an inconspicuous truck?

One of my hubby's degrees is in hazmat. He told me that there are a lot less obvious ways to hurt the US than to hijack a hazmat truck or to try to use a crop dusting plane.

[2Trievers]

Lorraine, It's a guy thang ... not meant to be understood by women of class and breeding. I gave up long ago trying to understand this "guy stuff." Better to give it a rest and use you energies elsewhere ... like rotating the tires on his truck or changing his oil.

[aculeus]

Why would they use a Hazmat truck when they can use everyday materials and an inconspicuous truck?

Aren't Hazmat trucks especially examined before entering major tunnels and bridges?

One of the objectives of the original WTC bombing was to blow up NYC's major tunnels.

Admittedly I haven't put all the pieces together but these people are (were?) planning another "something" very nasty and clearly wanted Hazmat credentials and trucks.

[GWfan]

Ah yes, but now the element of surprise is no longer a factor. I suspect that they will now have to use a route we consider safe and familiar. After all, we are now suspicious of hazmat trucks and crop dusting planes.

Ollie North hosted a luncheon which my family attended, but I was unable to attend, sometime this past spring. My mom came over after and was visibly upset. You see, he had created a senario of possible terrorist attack with these average "safe" looking trucks.

And so we have a war. My generation will soon learn the lesson that freedom has to be fought for, it cannot be negotiated.

[piasa]

That's very true. They've already done their spectacular stuff- now they can get down and dirty in thousands of different ways, like they do in Israel. If they want to use explosives, they could fill up a school bus because no one would think of searching one of those. Cement trucks, you name it. Toxins thrown into sink holes down here in FL would make their way into the water supply- but you'd have to use a lot of the stuff to get the dose up. Small numerous explosions or armed attacks would be sufficient to provoke the kind of crackdowns they want.

[meatloaf]

FWIW, Coca cola syrup is also a hazmat. There's lots of stuff you pickup at the supermarket and carry home without realizing that after a certain quantity or above a specific weight the stuff is classified as hazardous material by the DOT. I'm guessing that most hazmats aren't poisons or explosives.

The press has made a big deal out of how many truck drivers have hazmat endorsements. It's called moving the freight.

It's not uncommon for trucks and drivers to go missing. Drivers quit, aprk and leave the truck which the company has to find and pay someone to retrieve.

Trucks have been parked in truck stops over a week until someone found the driver dead in the sleeper. Rundown batteries would explain why the satellite isn't working.

[GingisK]

possibly the Shuttle Launch area. Big Bang. Shuttle is symbol of US high technology

Have you ever tried driving to the launch pads? There are guards in full body armor with two weapons each blocking those roads. The gates and these unhappy-looking fellows are perhaps five miles from the pads. Security looked pretty good to me.

[My Favorite Headache]

I agree. I believe Saddam Hussein has a hand in this and that it is a payback to Poppy Bush. What better way to punish him than to go after his boys? >>>>>>

Been saying this since August.We were bound to be attacked with another Bush in the house from Iraq or be dragged back over that way.

[Trident/Delta]

Florida has so many landmarks and military bases we are a sitting target.

If the tangoes follow thier modus operandi.. The target would be DisneyWorld. They (tangoes) seem to have a fixation on American Icons. If there is anything to the crop-duster/Kenworth angle it could be another Icon hit. A 1-2 punch of aerial attack and a catastrophic explosion after the emergency response personnel arrive or vice-versa... Lotsa little ones and "innocents" that would send the message that the Tangoes want. That they can "hit" us at thier leisure. I am nervous.

Semper F**king Fi!!

[Trident/Delta]

DOn't lose sight of the fact that it may NOT be the truck they wanted. You hve to ask yourself, WHAT was the haz-mat that was being hauled????? Ammonium Nitrate (precursor of ANFO) maybe????

Semper Fi