There is something interesting about a crook with a new, clever idea....
Tow Driver Accused Of Stealing Thousands Of Gallons Of Gas
www2.tbo.com
By Chris Echegaray
Published: October 17, 2007
Video: Underground Gas Stolen
BROOKSVILLE -- A 70-year-old Winter Haven man possessed lots of gas — illegally, the Polk County Sheriff's Office reported.
Hobert Gibson, of 3435 Recker Highway in Winter Haven, was arrested Tuesday on grand theft charges of stealing thousands of gallons of gas from stations in Pasco and Polk counties.
He was charged with two counts of grand theft by each county, and may face numerous additional charges, according to a Polk County sheriff's news release.
Gibson may be responsible for stealing 3,000 to 10,000 gallons of fuel each week using a box trailer and truck to steal the gasoline from the gas stations, investigators said.
Deputies saw Gibson siphoning 400 gallons of gas from the Circle K store at 8324 U.S. 98 N., Lakeland, and 523 gallons of gas from a Cumberland Farms Store in Dade City.
Deputies in a helicopter and cruisers followed Gibson to the gas stations and into Hernando County, where he was arrested.
Gibson was driving a stolen box trailer, taken from Central Food Equipment on Reynolds Road in Lakeland in 2005, deputies said. The trailer had been outfitted with two tanks with a capacity of 3,250 gallons of fuel.
Gibson rigged a trap door in the bottom of the trailer and parked over the underground fuel tanks at gas stations. Deputies said he would drop a hose into the tanks and use marine batteries to pump the gas into the trailer.
He would unload the fuel into larger tanks at his business, Crews Towing, at the Recker Highway property, authorities said. Gibson would sell the fuel at $1.80 a gallon, authorities said.
Detectives said Gibson may have been at it since at least the beginning of the year. They're now trying to find others involved.
The case is still under investigation.
News Channel 8 reporter Peter Bernard contributed to this report. |
