Man steals large amounts of fuel in broad daylight

TampaBays10.com ^ | 10/17/2007 | Janie Porter

[shooter223]

Polk County, Florida – More charges are expected after deputies caught a Winter Haven man siphoning more than 923 gallons of fuel from underground tanks at gas stations in Pasco and Polk counties.

70-year-old Hobert Gibson was arrested Tuesday and charged with two counts of grand theft.

Over the last ten months, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd suspects Gibson has stolen 3,000 to 10,000 gallons of fuel each week. But so far, only one gas station has come forward.

[shooter223]

guess he thought the prices were too high

[bill1952]

Damn, a very spry 70 year old!

Did he have a fuel tanker?
How else could you steal 10000 gallons?

[null and void]

How else could you steal 10000 gallons?

By driving an SUV. A lot.

[GOPmember]

He definitely deserves an ‘A’ for ingenuity.

[Spok]

Excuse my ignorance, but how do you siphon from UNDERGROUND tanks? I was never able to get my ‘Oklahoma credit card’ to work on anything but above ground tanks.

[A. Morgan]

Here is a link to the story:
http://www.polkonline.com/stories/101807/crime_heists.shtml

[null and void]

Side bet:

He has a tanker truck and told the gas stations he would sell them really cheap gas that he, uh, found.

Then he’s suck their tank dry, goober the measurement equipment to show the owner a big delivery, and get a check made out to cash (or maybe even cash money) for $2.00 a gallon.

He gets the gas and cash!

The owner thought he was buying stolen gas, so he’s a *little* reluctant to come forward...

[DManA]

I smell an inside job.

But so far, only one gas station has come forward.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Very shrewd......wrong way to live, though.

[null and void]

Electric pump?

[ozzymandus]

Gee, I hate to see crooks cheating other crooks! (Tee-hee!)

[stephenjohnbanker]

“The owner thought he was buying stolen gas, so he’s a *little* reluctant to come forward...”

Brilliant!

[Ol' Dan Tucker]

Judd estimates the operation has been going on since January, and said Gibson was responsible for stealing between 3,000 and 10,000 gallons of fuel each week from gas stations. Gibson would put the stolen fuel in larger tanks at his business property, Crews Towing, LLC at 3435 Recker Highway in Winter Haven and sell it to friends, arrest records indicate.

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise. The thief owned a towing company and was using it in his own trucks and selling it to his friends.

[lilylangtree]

Geez, ingenious idea. Whoever the tipster was should be boiled in oil.

[null and void]

Proving once again, that you can’t cheat an honest man.

[Spok]

“Electric pump?”

Yes, the article misuses the word ‘siphoning’, which only works when you are moving liquids downhill without the use of a pump.

[mysterio]

Thieves getting robbed by thieves.

[bill1952]

Still needs a tanker truck for all of those schemes.
10,000 gallons weekly is a hell of a lot of fuel.

He would have to be reselling fuel to other stations, as well.

By their count, that is as much as 360,000 gallons and that is a lot of green.

[null and void]

One can’t help but wonder whether he will be more vigorously prosecuted for failing to pay the gasoline and sales taxes, or for stealing the gas in the first place?

[Red_Devil 232]

Damn, a very spry 70 year old!

What do you want to bet this guy has been doing nefarious things since his teens? No telling how many years he has been making off with the gas! They just have a guess that it has been since Jan.