Who Really Pays For Stolen Gas?

Gas prices are on the rise and so is the number of people pumping without paying in Frederick County, according to local police and gas station employees.

With prices in the area soaring to more than $3 per gallon, a number of gas station workers in Frederick said they have noticed more gas "drive-offs" over the past few months.

Giovana Cortez works at Lowest Prices gas station at 100 W. Seventh St. She said some of those who drive away without paying for a tank of gas could be making an honest mistake, though she believes most are not.

Cortez estimates the station, where regular gas cost $3.25 per gallon Wednesday, averages about one gas theft each day.

Employees at other gas stations, including the GetGo at 1000 W. Patrick St., said they see four or five gas thefts every week.

Because gas thefts are not recorded as such by local law enforcement agencies, police did not have statistics available.

Bill Douwes, crime analyst at the Frederick Police Department, estimates gas thefts amount to about 5 percent of all recently reported thefts in Frederick.

There is not much officers can do to keep people from stealing gas.

"We can't stand at every gas station," Douwes said.

Frederick Police Chief Kim Dine believes it is possible to prevent gas thefts by recommending gas station owners insist drivers pre-pay for fuel.

Dine recently contacted executives of a locally owned gas station to make this suggestion. He would not disclose the company's name, but said he hopes its compliance will be a step in the right direction.

Police also recommend gas station owners invest in a security system such as a surveillance camera, Douwes said, which would capture a driver's license plate.

Rather than investigating a preventable crime such as gas theft, Dine said, officers could be on patrol and performing other duties.

Maryland State Police at the Frederick barrack are investigating a recent drive-off at a Sheetz gas station in Brunswick, according to 1st Sgt. Chris Sasse.

On March 16, a man pumped about $90 into his pickup truck and went inside the store to pay, Sasse said.

The man, whose name Sasse did not release, attempted to use his credit card, but it was invalid. He said he would return later to pay for the gas.

Employees at the pump, who made note of the man's license plate number, contacted troopers several days later because the man did not return.

Such investigations pose a challenge to police, Sasse said. In this case, for example, it could be difficult to prove whether the man knew his card was invalid.

State police in Frederick do notice more gas thefts when prices spike, he said.

Sasse estimates troopers investigate an average of about two or three gas thefts each month.

"We understand they want be customer-friendly," Sasse said, but he questions whether it is worth the cost in the end.

If convicted of gas theft in Maryland, a driver could be charged with theft less than $100, Sasse said.

Drivers could face up to 90 days in jail and/or a fine up to $500, he said. Additionally, a judge could suspend a driver's license.

Not only do drivers face such penalties, they risk putting themselves and others in danger as they speed away from the pump, said Jeff Lenard, spokesman for the National Association for Convenient Stores.

Gas thefts pose safety threats as well as challenges for law enforcement agencies and gas station employees alike, Lenard said.

Because the crime is difficult to prosecute, he said, gas station companies do not want to lose customers by wrongfully accusing them of theft.

This time of year, when fuel switches to summer blend and gas prices increase, gas thefts are on the rise nationwide, Lenard said.

Gas thefts continue to cost convenient stores an average of $100 million every year, he said.

"It really is a problem everywhere."

Drivers seem to have a misperception that individual gas station owners are profiting at their expense, Lenard said.

"When people see gas prices increase, they feel that they need to send a message," he said.

Most gas stations sell brands of fuel and only make about 1 or 2 cents per gallon sold, Lenard said, which allows them to make an average of about $50 per day.

That is why gas station owners hope to draw customers inside to pay after they pump, he said, where they are likely to buy a soda or a snack.

When one person leaves without paying for a tank of gas, Lenard said, it's almost like watching a day's profit drive away.

"It really is a crime of misdirected anger," he said.

Copyright 2008 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.