Previous Story
2 ex-convicts are accused of siphoning off fuel from cars
Police arrested early yesterday morning at an apartment in Sadog Tasi two ex-convicts who allegedly siphoned gasoline from parked vehicles.
Vincent P. Cabrera, 38, and Bentor J. Castro, 40, were detained at the Department of Corrections for burglary and theft charges. They are expected to be taken to Superior Court today for bail hearing.
Department of Public Safety spokesman Jason Tarkong disclosed that a person called 911 after seeing the suspects in the act of siphoning gas from a parked van at Retsa Horizon Apartment in Sadog Tasi at 4:50am.
-
- Vincent P Cabrera
-
- Bentor J. Castro
The officers noticed a 5-gallon water container next to the gas tank with a garden hose routed from under the vehicle into the container.
A green Toyota T100 pick-up truck was parked near the van. Seated inside the truck were Cabrera and Castro.
Tarkong said the witness came forward and provided police a statement identifying Cabrera and Castro as the persons stealing gasoline out of the van.
During an interview with a police detective, Tarkong said, one of the suspects confessed to siphoning gas from the van and from another vehicle at another place earlier that night.
Tarkong said the suspect admitted to stealing gasoline from another van parked at Sandy Beach Homes Condominium in Chalan Kanoa.
Police towed the suspects’ truck to DPS for safekeeping.
Tarkong said the gas container, hoses, fuel pump, and a knife that were all found at the apartment in Sadog Tasi were confiscated as evidence.
Officers inspected the van in the Sadog Tasi incident and discovered that the fuel line under it was cut and a garden hose was attached to the cut fuel line. The other end of the hose was attached to the container.
Tarkong said officers proceeded to Sandy Beach Homes Condominium in Chalan Kanoa, where one of the suspects directed them to the van that they earlier siphoned.
Tarkong said one of the suspects admitted that they used a mechanical pump found on the bed of their Toyota T100 pickup truck to pump out the gas from the van.
Tarkong urged any other victims of a similar gas siphoning incidents to contact police detective Catherine Pangelinan at 664-9001 as the same suspects may be involved.
