Thousands of dollars worth of diesel stolen from Tulare County gas stations

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Sierra Minit Mart locations in Porterville and Terra Bella are two busy gas stations for travelers on Highway 65 in south Tulare County.

They were hit with about $22,000 worth of dollars in diesel theft over the September 9th and 10th weekend.

Surveillance images show the theft at the Porterville location.

You can see two large box trucks, each around about 15 feet long, parked side by side.

Store managers say the thieves managed to open up a fuel pump by the credit card reader and siphon about 1,300 gallons of diesel.

Another 1,800 gallons were stolen from the Terra Bella store.

"I feel sorry for the community because, you know what, the loss is not passed on to us, but it's passed down to the consumer theft and that nature. You know, it goes back to the community, and we're a farm-working community," says Eddie Hernandez, who manages the Terra Bella location.

He says this is the first time he's seen theft this large since he started six years ago.

He says the crime has forced the store to close its diesel pumps overnight.

"So, we cannot provide that service to people when we're closed, and in this particular community, Terra Bella, we have nobody that opens at night time at 12 am or two in the morning, so there's no service available to them in those local residences. I feel sorry for them," explains Eddie.

Now, the convenience stores are offering a $2,000 reward for anyone with information that leads to an arrest.

They believe the man seen here in a reflective vest and at least one other person in one of the trucks are to blame.

Hernandez is urging other store managers and employees to be vigilant.

"Yes, they got us once, but I said they won't get us twice. So, any other individuals do their due diligence, make sure you have locked safety tags and be aware of your security cameras if you do have a missing fuel," mentions Eddie.

The Porterville Police Department is investigating the Porterville theft, and the Tulare County Sheriff's Office is investigating the Terra Bella theft.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Tulare County Sheriff's Office at (559) 733-6218.

The Porterville Police Department can be reached at (559) 782-7400.

If you have any information, you can contact them or contact the store's security office at 1012 W. Henderson Ave Porterville, CA. 93257 or call at (559) 781-0933.

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