TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

2,770 Gallons Of Gas Stolen In St. Pete, Police Say

ADVERTISEMENT

By STEPHEN THOMPSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 13, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Some $10,000 worth of gasoline was pilfered from two tanks at a St. Petersburg gas station this week, police said.

Padlocks on two of three underground tanks at the Mystik station at 1501 34th St. S. were discovered missing Thursday, St. Petersburg police spokesman George Kajtsa said. The padlocks secure valves for the tanks, he said.

A total of 2,770 gallons of regular and "plus" fuel had been siphoned out of the two tanks, Kajtsa said. That amounts to a $10,000 loss based on what the gas station owner pays wholesale, he said.

The loss was discovered Thursday morning, when employees used measuring sticks to determine how much gasoline was in the tanks, Kajtsa said. After the sticks were withdrawn from the tanks and only 6 1/2 inches of the sticks were covered in fuel, the owner determined, based on invoices, that only 106 gallons remained in one tank and 126 in another, the police spokesman said.

This was the first theft of its kind in St. Petersburg, Kajtsa said. Pasco County, however, experienced a similar theft recently, he said.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT