MONROE - On July 4, one attempt to steal gas led to extensive damage and easily could have turned into a fatal situation.
Aaron Treuthardt, Brodhead, was at the Brodhead fireworks display when he received a call from his father that his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck had been destroyed by fire.
He rushed home to find the Brodhead Fire Department and Green County Sheriff's Department deputies at the scene.
The truck was a total loss. The interior and exterior were destroyed, and his truck was on the ground, its tires melted. The fire had been so hot that it melted the rims.
Treuthardt said he doesn't know how the fire started and the sheriff's department doesn't have any leads. He thinks the fire may have started by someone smoking a cigarette while trying to take gas from his truck, or maybe even using a lighter to see if they were getting gas into a container. A melted gas can was found next to the truck, he pointed out.
Anyone with information can contact the Green County Sheriff's Department at 328-9400.
What happened to Treuthardt's truck hasn't been common. There hasn't been a rash of gas thefts, even though gas prices have hit record highs for the past several months.
Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said there were four gas drive-offs - pumping gas and then leaving without paying - at a station near Juda since the beginning of the year. There was one drive-off at the same gas station in 2007, he said.
The most common example of gas thefts in other areas have been thefts from farms. Farmers often have gas tanks on their property for their tractors or skid loaders. They're encouraged to put locks on the tanks to prevent theft, Roderick said.
The Monroe Police Department reported 40 drive-offs for the first six months of the year.
However, Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said those mostly were mistakes rather than crimes. Most of the time, the driver uses a credit card and it doesn't register with the pump. The driver assumes it did and drives off. The problem often is resolved without charges filed, Kelley said.
Someone who intentionally takes gas could be charged with a class A misdemeanor and face up to nine months in jail and up to $10,000 in fines.
Aaron Treuthardt, Brodhead, was at the Brodhead fireworks display when he received a call from his father that his 2007 Chevrolet Silverado truck had been destroyed by fire.
He rushed home to find the Brodhead Fire Department and Green County Sheriff's Department deputies at the scene.
The truck was a total loss. The interior and exterior were destroyed, and his truck was on the ground, its tires melted. The fire had been so hot that it melted the rims.
Treuthardt said he doesn't know how the fire started and the sheriff's department doesn't have any leads. He thinks the fire may have started by someone smoking a cigarette while trying to take gas from his truck, or maybe even using a lighter to see if they were getting gas into a container. A melted gas can was found next to the truck, he pointed out.
Anyone with information can contact the Green County Sheriff's Department at 328-9400.
What happened to Treuthardt's truck hasn't been common. There hasn't been a rash of gas thefts, even though gas prices have hit record highs for the past several months.
Green County Sheriff Randy Roderick said there were four gas drive-offs - pumping gas and then leaving without paying - at a station near Juda since the beginning of the year. There was one drive-off at the same gas station in 2007, he said.
The most common example of gas thefts in other areas have been thefts from farms. Farmers often have gas tanks on their property for their tractors or skid loaders. They're encouraged to put locks on the tanks to prevent theft, Roderick said.
The Monroe Police Department reported 40 drive-offs for the first six months of the year.
However, Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said those mostly were mistakes rather than crimes. Most of the time, the driver uses a credit card and it doesn't register with the pump. The driver assumes it did and drives off. The problem often is resolved without charges filed, Kelley said.
Someone who intentionally takes gas could be charged with a class A misdemeanor and face up to nine months in jail and up to $10,000 in fines.