NEW ORLEANS--New orleans police are searching for a thief who discovered a way to beat rising fuel prices: steal it by the barrel.
Police officers are investigating the theft of more than 1,000 gallons, or 23 barrels, of diesel fuel from a construction site near the intersection of Vespasian Street and Wall Boulevard in the Algiers subdivision. The two thefts happened at midnight and 4 a.m. on May 12.
According to police, diesel fuel was being stored at the site for use by the vehicles doing renovations on a nearby park. The site manager reported locking up a 3,000 gallon tank of fuel before he left the site on May 11, but returning the next day to find it had been accessed.
The theft was discovered because the tank makes a note any time fuel is removed from it, and also notes how much is removed. In addition, several pieces of the tank were broken in order to access the fuel.
According to a police report, the thief or thieves stole 670 gallons of fuel during one trip, and then another 340 gallons during a second trip. Police speculate that a large truck or tanks were used to hold the fuel.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Tuesday, May 24th 2011 at 1:37PM
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