Not paying for gas lands man in jail for five days
A Cookeville man will serve five days in jail and be without a driver’s license for a year after he drove off without paying for gas at the same station — twice.
The defendant, Chase Thomas Effler, entered guilty pleas Tuesday before General Sessions Judge Larry Ross to two counts of theft for stealing gas from Taylor’s Corner Market at Rock Island. He was ordered to serve five days of an 11-month, 29-sentence, forfeit his driver’s license for one year, perform 16 hours public service work, make restitution and was warned to stay away from the store.
The sentence comes after Effler visited the market twice recently, both times leaving without paying for the gas he pumped from the self-service island outside the store. On the first occasion he stole $18.70 worth of gas and $25 on his second visit. His license plates and truck description, that of a 1989 black Ford pickup, were written down both times. The second time resulted in him being caught a short time after the incident as he was returning home to Cookeville. He was forwarded back to the store by lawmen where he was identified by employees as the gas thief.
His thefts come at a time where gas prices have reached all-time record highs, surpassing more than $2 per gallon for higher grades. The higher gas prices have resulted in higher drive-off rates across the country; however, despite Effler’s actions, the drive-off rate has not risen dramatically in Warren County during the gas crunch.
One reason for the lower rate may be the state law which revokes the licenses of motorists caught stealing gas. The law was enacted a few years ago to address drive-off problems. Most stations have the drive-off law posted on the pumps so motorists will know of the penalties for not paying for their gas.