MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Two men were arrested in Blount County and charged with theft and evading arrest after stealing 350 gallons of diesel fuel in an "elaborate scheme," according to the Blount County Sheriff's Office.
BCSO said deputies arrested the two men after they found 350 gallons of stolen diesel fuel in their vehicle and a hole cut in the floorboard.
Arianley Camejo-Morales, 28, from Miami and Roberto Gutierrez-Morales, 23, from Houston were both arrested on multiple charges.
According to BCSO, on Thursday evening, a deputy was patrolling East Lamar Alexander Parkway when he saw an older model Dodge Caravan sitting at Lem's Korner with the driver rocking back and forth in the seat.
"The deputy returned to Lem’s Korner and saw the Dodge Caravan pull out of the parking lot and was traveling well below the posted speed limit heading west on East Lamar Alexander Parkway," BCSO said. "When he caught up to the vehicle, a Nissan Quest pulled in behind the Dodge Caravan in front of the deputy. "
BCSO said the deputy then turned on his emergency equipment and the Nissan pulled over, but then sped up and "traveled alongside the deputy."
The driver of the Dodge, later identified as Camejo-Morales refused to stop the vehicle and continued to drive at low speeds, BCSO said. The cop followed the Dodge until it hit a tree on Sevierville Road.
"Camejo-Morales and his passenger, Roberto Gutierrez-Morales ran from the vehicle on foot. Deputies located and arrested both men a short time later," the sheriff's office said.
As deputies searched the wrecked Dodge, they found a 250-gallon gas tank and two 50-gallon cylinder containers filled with diesel fuel. BCSO said it also found a hole cut in the floorboard of the Dodge that deputies believed the two used to siphon fuel from gas station holding tanks without having to get out of the car.
"More than 300 gallons of fuel was returned to the business," BCSO said.
Maryville Fire Department was also called to the scene to ensure the vehicle was safe due to the fuel tanks being wired to a car battery, along with pumping devices in the passenger area of the van.
Camejo-Morales was charged with the following:
- Theft
- Impeding the flow of traffic
- two counts of evading arrest
He is being held in the Blount County Correctional Facility on bonds of $18,000 pending a hearing at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
Gutierrez-Morales was also arrested for theft and resisting arrest. He is also being held at BCCF with bonds of $10,000. He will also appear at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
"The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations unit is continuing to investigate the incident to ascertain whether or not the driver of the Nissan Quest was involved in the incident, and to determine if this apparent fuel-syphoning incident could be farther reaching," BCSO said.
This story will be updated when more information is available.