Four Arrested For Stealing Gas Using City Of Auburn Credit Card

AUBURN (CBS13) -- Four Sacramento residents were arrested earlier this week when they were reportedly caught in the act of stealing $2,600 worth of gas using a credit card stolen from the city of Auburn.

Deputies responded to the Dawson Oil card lock station on Bowman Road in Auburn at 1:42 a.m. on Monday after a caller reported that someone appeared to be stealing gas, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies found 12 55-gallon vinyl barrels filled with gasoline in the back of two pickup trucks.
Suspect Raymond E. Farmer, 54, was reportedly in the process of filling one barrel in the back of his truck when deputies arrived.

The second truck, driven by suspect John Patrick Steel, 47, was parked next to Farmer's and was already loaded up with barrels, the sheriff's office said.

Farmer and Steel had outstanding warrants and Farmer was on searchable probation, the sheriff's office said. Farmer reportedly said they had purchased the gasoline using a Dawson Oil credit card but he told deputies that he did not know who owned the card.

A Dawson Oil employee who came to the scene determined that the card belonged to the city of Auburn. Neither suspect works for the city.

Farmer also reportedly said he took the 55-gallon barrels from a business in Sacramento, but he did not know the name of that business.

Farmer and Steel were arrested, along with a female passenger in each truck, and booked at the Placer County Jail. The women arrested were Dawn Marie Darnell, 47, and Ranae Lynn Miller, 40.

All four were charged with grand theft, possession of stolen property, conspiracy and theft by credit card. Dawson Oil could not reuse the gas because of potential contamination.