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‘Gas siphoning suspects smoked ‘ice’ prior to stealing’
Vincent P. Cabrera and Benter J. Castro smoked methamphetamine or “ice” prior to siphoning off fuel from two vans, according to court documents.
As this developed, Superior Court Associate Judge David A. Wiseman yesterday imposed a $5,000 cash bail for each suspect and set the preliminary hearing for Sept. 2 at 9am.
Citing the suspects’ criminal history, Wiseman noted that the new charges are theft and criminal mischief, which are both misdemeanors.
“What a big crime. Wow!” the judge sarcastically told the defendants, who were arrested on Tuesday early morning.
Police detective Edward M. Cepeda disclosed in his report that Cabrera admitted to siphoning gasoline from a van at Resta Horizon Apartments in Sadog Tasi and from another van at the Sandy Beach Homes in Chalan Kanoa.
Cepeda said that, according to Cabrera, Castro picked him up at his uncle’s house in San Antonio and they both proceeded to Castro’s house in San Roque.
Cepeda said the two parked their truck outside the residence and smoked “ice.”
Castro stated he needed to get gas so they drove to the Sandy Beach Homes parking lot, where they siphoned gas from a white Ford van with license plate BUS-1156.
After Sandy Homes, the two drove to Resta Horizon Apartments’ parking lot, where they also siphoned gas from a white Econoline van with license plate BUS-1249.
When they saw a light from a car coming from the hill, the two ran back and hid inside their green Toyota T 100 pickup truck, with personalized license plate “HIDE.”
Cepeda said a witness, however, saw the incident at Resta Horizon Apartments and immediately called the police on Tuesday at 4:50am. Responding police officers arrested the two suspects at the scene.
Police urged any other victims of a similar gas siphoning incidents to contact police detective Catherine B. Pangelinan at 664-9001 as the same suspects may be involved.
