gas thefts may REACH $50,000
Spotsy man charged with stealing $50,000 in gas from Prince William County
BY ELLEN BILTZ
Date published: 6/17/2008
BY ELLEN BILTZ
A Spotsylvania County man was arrested in Woodbridge this weekend and charged with stealing $50,000 worth of gasoline.
1st Sgt. Kim Chinn of the Prince William County Police Department said in a release today that Phillip Harris, 23, was charged with grand larceny after police conducted surveillance at the Chevron Station on Gideon Drive in Woodbridge
Harris is accused of using a device to turn on the pumps after hours and allowing acquaintances to purchase gas at half price.
Chinn said police received an anonymous tip last week, and, on June 12, they began watching the station. The device had been reported stolen from the gas station.
She said the amount of gas stolen is estimated at $50,000, and police suspect the larceny has been occurring since January.
Harris was never an employee of the gas station, Chinn said, and, when he was arrested at the station during surveillance, he was found in possession of the device used to activate the pumps.
He is supposed to appear in court July 30.
Representatives from some Fredericksburg-area police agencies said yesterday that they have had no reports of similar activity locally.
Most also reported that gas larcenies have stayed steady or have decreased since the recent rise in gas prices, mainly attributed to prepay policies at local gas stations.
"It's hard to steal gas if you're prepaying for it," said Maj. Scott Moser of the Caroline County Sheriff's Office.
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania police echoed the same, saying there are very few stations that don't require customers to prepay for gas.
"It's remained really steady and evenly consistent," said Natatia Bledsoe, spokeswoman for the Fredericksburg Police Department.
She said the city has had either two or three reports of gas larceny for every month since January 2007.
1st Sgt. Liz Scott of the Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office said she has also not seen a surge in their gas larcenies as a result of higher prices at the pump.
Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Email: ebiltz@freelancestar.com
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Date published: 6/17/2008
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