Philly Man Accused Of Stealing More Than 1,700 Gallons Of Gas In Delaware
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WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) – A Philadelphia man has been arrested after authorities say he stole thousands of gallons of gasoline from multiple gas stations in Delaware.
The investigation began on July 5 after a series of reported thefts at various Shell gas stations throughout New Castle County.
Police say Vincent B. Chinn Jr., 34, of Philadelphia, would siphon hundreds of gallons of fuel from underground storage tanks and then transfer it to plastic tanks which were contained on a utility trailer.
The thefts occurred at the following locations:
• July 5, 2018: Shell Gas, 4495 Summit Bridge Road, Middletown. (661 gallons/$2,267.23)
• July 10, 2018: Shell Gas, 841 Pulaski Highway, Bear. (416 gallons/$1,345.24)
• July 15, 2018: Shell Gas, 4495 Summit Bridge Road, Middletown. (666 gallons/$2,364.30)
On July 26, police say they tracked down Chinn who was traveling on I-495 in the area of 12th Street in a blue Dodge Ram 4 door pick-up truck, towing a utility trailer which police believe was used to transport the gasoline.
He was arrested and charged with multiple counts of theft. Chinn was also charged by the Delaware Natural Resources Police Environmental Crimes Unit with three counts of constructing equipment to discharge an air contaminant without a permit.