Police News

a man at a sante fe gas station was arrested after trying to get away with not paying for nearly a dozen drums of bio- diesel fuel. police think more gas stations were hit and there could be more arrests. cristina rodda is here with how santa fe police say the man was caught, cristina police say an alert gas station clerk made this arrest possible-- and it could lead police to more arrests in the theft of more than 2-thousand gallons of bio- diesel fuel in the last month in santa fe. police say around noon friday a clerk at a gas station on baca street and cerrillos road noticed a u-haul parked next to the gas station pump for a very long time. when he went to check it out- he realized fuel was being pumped into nearly a dozen 55 gallon drums. the man told the clerk he h paid for just 5 dollars worth of fuel and then fled. police were called and tracked down the u-haul. the driver micheal puzak was arrested and charged with larceny. police say puzak had used a credit card that was rigged so that the fueling station would continue pumping long after it was supposed to automatically shut off. " it's one of those things technology wise we've heard about these types of issues before with credit card readers and being able to recreate magnetic strips ." polie say they don't know at this time what the fuel was going to be used for. chief wheeler also says it doesn't appear the u-haul that was used in this fuel theft has been reported stolen. chief wheeler says he suspects the people involved in this major fuel heist may also be involved in three other cases of fuel theft around santa fe. all of them occured on friday afternoons.