High tech thieves arrested for fuel theft

Some Historic City News readers feel like a trip to the gas station reminds them of being “robbed” — but, last weekend, it was three south Florida truck drivers that were doing the stealing, according to arrest reports filed by the St Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

When most drivers pull up to the pump, it’s not common for them to purchase over 1,000 gallons of fuel. That’s not true at a truck stop. However, an employee at Flying J, was observant enough to realize that this trio of truckers was spending too much time pumping fuel compared to the amount of fuel that was paid for.

“The suspects were able to unlock the gas pump, and then disturbed the wiring harness that connects the pump to its circuit boards,” Sheriff’s spokesman Kevin Kelshaw told local Historic City News reporters. “By disconnecting the wiring to the pump’s computer, it did not appear active inside the building; then, by reconnecting the wiring to their own computer, they were able to allow the pump to run.”

The attendant at the truck stop, located at SR-206 and I-95, notified the Sheriff’s Office and continued close monitoring of the surveillance video from the fuel island; until about 1:40 a.m. when help arrived.

Each of the men were charged with pumping 990 gallons of diesel fuel, at $4.01 per gallon, and only paying for 140 gallons.

The three tractor trailers were seized for further investigation. The operators, Carrillo Raayner, 30, of West Palm Beach; Juan M. Fernandez, 47, of Miami; and Henry N. Morales-Rosales, 33, of Greenacres, were taken into custody and held in the St Johns County Detention Facility at the Neil J Perry Criminal Justice Complex, each in lieu of a $15,000 appearance bond.