Florida Man Arrested After Allegedly Stealing Over $9,000 Worth Of Gas

Image: Rich Graessle (AP)

Fuel theft in Florida is apparently big business, especially with how high gas prices have been, with some stealing thousands of dollars worth of gas from Florida gas stations. Now, another individual has allegedly been caught stealing over $9,000 worth of gas from just a few stations, according to Fox 35.

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Florida’s Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement began investigating mysterious fuel thefts in mid-2022. The thefts occurred at multiple Wawa gas stations in Orlando. Authorities discovered that between June 17, 2022 and July 7,2022 someone had managed to steal 1,300 gallons of fuel totaling more than $9,000.

The thefts happened at three separate Wawa stations over the span of three weeks. An investigation led authorities to identify that Yerrison Perez was the one behind the thefts.

Perez allegedly obtained gas fraudulently at three different Wawa locations in Central Florida on three separate occasions between June 17, 2022 and July 7, 2022, officials with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.

He was arrested on August 19, 2022 by the Orlando Police Department for fuel theft. The Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement identified him as the suspect involved in its investigation into the fuel thefts during the previously mentioned dates last summer.

Perez was later arrested again in September, with OALE announcing the results of its investigation last week.

OALE Commissioner Wilton Simpson said Perez’s arrest serves as a warning “to anyone who thinks they can get away with fuel theft in our state.” Simpson has been working with Florida state officials to create more laws to combat the state’s rampant fuel thefts. They seek to create harsher penalties for anyone who uses any kind of device that causes gas pumps to malfunction so they can steal fuel.