Desperation and high fuel costs prompting daring fuel thefts in Eugene, Oregon....

[marmar]

from AP, via The Examiner:



As gasoline gets dearer, Oregon thieves get more daring
AP

EUGENE, Ore. (Map, News) - The thief who drained just about all the gasoline from Michael Gilbert's rig had better hope he's not caught.

Gilbert is a Eugene police sergeant, and he barely got his police-issue Chevrolet Tahoe to the gas station to refill.

"It's not a marked Tahoe, but if they bothered looking at it at all, they could see it's a police vehicle," Gilbert said. "It was more than a little irritating."

But Gilbert said he's not surprised that the rising price of oil and gasoline makes tanks targets for thieves.

"You can expect an increase in this sort of thing anytime gas goes up," he said. "You're going to get drive-aways from the pumps, you're going to get siphoning."

Gasoline prices in Oregon averaged about $3.42 a gallon Sunday - 50 cents more than the same time last year, according to the American Automobile Association.

Thefts in Eugene appear to be climbing slightly, police spokeswoman Melinda Kletzok said. In next-door Springfield, only six cases of gasoline theft have been reported this year.

"My personal opinion is that they do go unreported," said Springfield Sgt. Brent Carpenter. "I would guess that the more expensive gas gets, the more likely it would be that thefts occur." .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.examiner.com/a-1312574~As_gasoline_gets_dearer__Oregon_thieves_get_more_daring.html?cid=rss-Oregon_Headlines

[livetohike]

1. Reminds me of the mid-70's

I believe the locking gas cap was invented around then...you needed a key to open it.

[HughMoran]

4. I was going to bring up the same thing

I was a teen and I have to admit that my punk ass syphoned 100's of gallons of fuel during that time. A lot was from abandoned vehicles and was barely burnable - doh! I still have the skill and occasionally syphon fuel from my car to fill the lawn mower!

I just got an oil fill today - I was shocked when I saw the price - almost $4/gallon or $531 dollars for 138 gallons :(

[livetohike]

6. I was in my early 20's and remember waiting in line

on my day to fill up (even or odd # license plate). My husband has those same skills :-).

We heat with propane.....I feel your pain.

[HughMoran]

7. Oh, the lines

Don't remind me of the lines! It was kind of fun though - sitting in lines meeting new people :D

[Kindigger]

2. This is daring

A 70-year-old man has been charged with grand theft after police watched him siphon off more than 900 gallons of gasoline from underground storage tanks at two gas stations, the Polk County authorities said Wednesday.

Gibson outfitted a stolen box trailer with tanks able to hold 3,250 gallons and with a trap door underneath, police said. He would pull over near the underground storage tank at a gas station, pop the trailer's hood and pretend to fix a problem, as the trap door obscured the view of gas being pumped into the tanks.

Once Gibson even chatted with a Florida Highway Patrol officer while on one of his missions, he told investigators after his arrest, sheriff's spokeswoman Carrie Rodgers said.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Man,+70,+accused+of+daily+gas+thefts-a01610787740

[dysfunctional press]

3. he didn't siphon it off- he pumped it out.

in order to siphon- he'd have to be at a point lower than the underground tanks.


"gee golly, thanks mr. wizard..."

[TheMightyFavog]

5. That's a trick right out of Steal this Book.

Wow, I though pretty well much all of those tricks wouldn't work anymore for one reason or another.