Diesel fuel theft suspect nabbed www.privateofficer.com

Richmond TX. March 22 2008

About 12 hours after posting his picture, Richmond police officers arrested a suspect in the theft of about 1,400 gallons of diesel fuel from two local service stations.

Charged with state jail felony theft is Richard A. Owens, 30, of Richmond.Richmond Police Sgt. Lowell Neinast said the department received numerous tips about Owens’ identity after seeing media reports Thursday including images from surveillance cameras at two Valero stores.Acting on one tip at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, police drove to a business in the 6800 block of Highway 36 in the village of Pleak, found Owens and arrested him.

Police said Thursday that video from security cameras shows that on the morning of March 3, a man driving a pickup truck towed a white, enclosed cargo trailer over the fuel tank covers beneath the parking lot at a Valero store at 207 U.S. 90A.

Several days later, store officials received another shipment of fuel, checked gauges and discovered they were missing about 400 gallons of diesel fuel valued at $1,436, according to police.That evening, a man driving what appears to be an identical truck towing an identical trailer pulled over the fuel tanks at a Valero store at 1212 F.M. 2218, store surveillance video shows.Two days later, when the store manager got a fuel shipment, he discovered the tanks were missing about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel worth an estimated $3,519, according to police reports.Police recovered the pickup and the trailer at the time of Owens’ arrest.

Detectives believe another man was hidden in the trailer, and opened a trap door in the trailer floor to pump out the stations’ fuel tanks.However, Neinast said on Friday that Owens is not cooperating in the investigation.“If he wants to take the full rap, more power to him,” Neinast said.

Theft of goods valued at between $1,500 and $20,000 is considered a state jail felony according to Texas Criminal Code, punishable by 6 months to 2 years in a state jail.

The 1,400 gallons of stolen diesel fuel was valued by Valero at more than $4,900.

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