MORAINE — High gas prices are often blamed as part of the cause of inflation but now one business owner showed News Center 7 how those prices are creating crime that’s costing him money.
Moraine police are looking for a man they said was captured on surveillance video drilling holes in a gas tank to steal fuel at the Dayton Reliable Filter Company.
News Center 7′s Mike Campbell talked with investigators and the business owner about stopping this person and any similar crimes.
There are a lot of targets for this type of crime. It’s not just people that live in apartments and homes or park outside. It is also businesses that must leave their vehicles in parking lots overnight.
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Gary Chrusciel owns Dayton Reliable Filter and he said, “Man that took it, crawled under and had a battery-powered drill. Drilled it twice on this one.”
Chrusciel said his business has been hit twice by gas thieves. However, because of catalytic converter thefts, he has cameras in place, and they caught the latest crime in progress.
The man was seen driving a distinctive pickup truck down the street and then pulling next to a company van. The video shows the man sliding out of the gold pickup truck with an unusual bronze hood, carrying a drill and a container for collecting fuel.
“Takes a five-gallon gas can, fills it up and lets the rest drain on the ground,” Chrusciel said.
Racheal Adams, of Xenia, said, “To get fuel out of it, it’s just gas prices are so high.”
Adams said when people see more than $5 a gallon at the pump some might be tempted to turn to crime.
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“They would siphon gas back in the day for two or three dollars a gallon.”
Sgt. John Howard with Moraine Police said, “There are blocking valves so you can’t run a hose down to siphon the gas, so this is ne way to get at it.”
Howard said they are moving closer to identifying the man driving the pickup in this case. He wants to warn others to be aware of similar potential crimes. They can be costly.
Chrusciel said his van will be out of service for two weeks. It means the technician that drives it is not performing 10 service calls a day. It delays customer scheduled and cost the business even more money.
It is not just the stolen fuel and the money it costs to get a new gas tank; it is the fact the van must be taken out of service, and a technician can’t make calls for customers, costing the business money.
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