Fresno County deputies arrest a diesel fuel thief. Here’s how much they say he stole
A Lemoore man has been arrested for a string of diesel fuel thefts from Fresno County farmers, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies said a substantial amount of diesel had been stolen in August and September and they believed the person responsible was carrying an AR-15. The sheriff’s office in a Thursday news release said the deputies arrested 38-year-old Juan Martinez Barajas of Lemoore on Wednesday on suspicion of the theft and other crimes.
While conducting surveillance in the area of Phelps and El Dorado avenues in Coalinga, deputies spotted a truck they believed was connected to the thefts, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The driver did not stop for deputies and sped off.
Deputies later found the truck abandoned, and after a search using air resources and K-9 units, found Martinez Barajas hiding under trees in a dry riverbed, according to a news release.
Deputies said they found in the truck an AR-15 “ghost gun,” when a partially manufactured gun without a serial number is shipped through the mail and made usable without having to register it.
Martinez Barajas drove around pulling containers behind him that he would fill with siphoned diesel fuel, and later sell it to truck drivers, according to detectives. He painted the containers black to hide the reddish tint of the fuel.
He stole about 800 gallons a week, which is about $60,000 worth over several weeks, according to a news release.
Deputies noted that the truck drivers who bought the stolen diesel were also breaking the law.
Martinez Barajas was booked into jail on suspicion of charges of grand theft, evading police, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of armor piercing ammunition, driving on a suspended license for DUI and a probation violation. He also had an active warrant for domestic battery, deputies said.
He’s held in lieu of $185,000.
