Custom Trucks With Hidden Trapdoors Used To Steal Gas From Fla. Stations
Sheriff: 'My Concern Is With Homeland Security'
POSTED: Thursday, October 18, 2007
UPDATED: 9:10 am EDT October 19,2007
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Several arrests involving custom-built trucks with hidden trapdoors used to siphon hundreds of gallons of gasoline may be linked to an organized crime ring targeting stations.
PHOTOS: Custom Truck Images
"My concern is with Homeland Security," Police County sheriff Grady Judd said. "When someone can pull up to a store during business hours and steal hundreds of gallons of gas and simply move on to the next station."Investigators said Jose Guerra, 22, and Octavio Garcia, 27, were charged with siphoning off hundreds of gallons of gasoline from the Mobil station located on Curry Ford Road and Goldenrod in east Orange County.Wednesday, police said Hobert Gibson, 70, siphoned and stole more than 900 gallons of gas from underground fuel tanks at stations in Polk County.In both crimes, police said, the men used similar custom-built trucks to steal the gasoline.Deputies said they witnessed Gibson steal gasoline from two stations Tuesday.He would pull over near the underground storage tank at a gas station, pop the trailer's hood and pretend to fix a problem, as the trap door obscured the view of gas being pumped into the tanks, according to police."It was broad daylight, nobody knew that's what he was doing," sheriff's representative Carrie Rodgers said. "He was that good at it."Sheriff officials believe Gibson stole gas on a daily basis since at least January. They said he may have taken 10,000 gallons of fuel a week to sell at his towing company.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
PHOTOS: Custom Truck Images "My concern is with Homeland Security," Police County sheriff Grady Judd said. "When someone can pull up to a store during business hours and steal hundreds of gallons of gas and simply move on to the next station."Investigators said Jose Guerra, 22, and Octavio Garcia, 27, were charged with siphoning off hundreds of gallons of gasoline from the Mobil station located on Curry Ford Road and Goldenrod in east Orange County.Wednesday, police said Hobert Gibson, 70, siphoned and stole more than 900 gallons of gas from underground fuel tanks at stations in Polk County.In both crimes, police said, the men used similar custom-built trucks to steal the gasoline.Deputies said they witnessed Gibson steal gasoline from two stations Tuesday.He would pull over near the underground storage tank at a gas station, pop the trailer's hood and pretend to fix a problem, as the trap door obscured the view of gas being pumped into the tanks, according to police."It was broad daylight, nobody knew that's what he was doing," sheriff's representative Carrie Rodgers said. "He was that good at it."Sheriff officials believe Gibson stole gas on a daily basis since at least January. They said he may have taken 10,000 gallons of fuel a week to sell at his towing company.Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Copyright 2008 by Internet Broadcasting Systems and Local6.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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