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Fuel prices spur thefts of gasoline |
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Friday, 18 July 2008 |
By ANGELA WEAVER
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — With the rising price of gasoline, some people have turned to illegally taking the fuel from others, and as predicted, there has been an increase in the number of gas thefts in the area.
“I don’t think that we’re really different than any other community in that we’ve experienced an increase in the number of gas thefts,” St. Marys Police Chief Greg Foxhoven said. “We’ve had some gas successfully removed from tanks and some tanks that have been tampered with.”
The gas siphoning has been an occurrence around the county, said Auglaize County Sheriff Al Solomon. The sheriff attributed the increase to the rise in prices.
“If someone doesn’t do something about the prices, I think we may see a larger increase in gas theft,” Solomon said. “I don’t know that there’s been a large increase (in the county) so far. Although, we’ve had some incidences where gas cans were taken from residences.”
Solomon said the police will be in areas they believe there will be more thefts occurring — one of them being the marinas.
“People may want to watch their boats that they have docked,” Solomon said.
Gas thefts have occurred at the pumps, too, with customers not paying. Foxhoven said that St. Marys has noticed a change in the number of drive offs at the gas pump, adding that they usually have a few a week.
“We have those all the time, but we have noticed an increase,” Foxhoven said said.
The police departments’ biggest obstacle is the lack of residents reporting the incidents.
“I think people should be aware of this happening,” Foxhoven said. “They need to take some extra steps — like securing and locking their gas caps. And if they see someone on their property or around their vehicles, they should call us. Keep an eye on your neighborhood — and your neighbors’ things — and report suspicious persons.”
The rising gas prices are affecting the police, Solomon said. The sheriff said his office is doing some selective patrolling to hold its fuel costs down. Stealing gas may be cheaper, but the risks that come with it are deadly, he said.
“A sheriff told me in a county south of here that they had people drilling in a gas tank,” Solomon said. “That’s dangerous — there’s a chance of sparks.”
Residents can call the St. Marys Police Department at 419-394-2325 to report gasoline theft incidences.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 23 July 2008 )
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