You should never judge a book by its cover. However, sometimes it’s alright to judge a sketchy-looking van. One Florida gas station clerk noticed a rough van camping out over the fuel bay before realizing it was stealing gas. 

Florida clerk spots a sketchy van and discovers that it is stealing gas 

Police officers responded to reports of stolen fuel at the RaceTrac gas station on 9410 Cortez Boulevard in Spring Hill Florida around 9:52 PM. 

The gas station manager received a system notice that a large amount of fuel was missing and had his eyes on a silver van parked over the fuel reservoir area. 

The van looked suspicious and fled the area before police officers arrived. The manager provided officers with the van’s tag number and direction of travel and the pursuit was on. 

According to Pasco News Online, officers located the suspect and identified him as 21-year-old Ruben Dario. He was driving around Osowaw Boulevard and Tarpon Boulevard. 

He tried to flee from the cops but was stopped with assistance from the Florida Highway Patrol in the driveway of the Hernando County Landfill. They actually hit the back of the van. 

As police officers inspected the van, they noticed the strong smell of gasoline. Also, the rear windows were spray-painted black. 

The van had large drums inside, equipped with hoses and electric pumps. They sat beside a large hole cut in the floorboard. This provided a way for Dario to siphon gas without having to exit the vehicle. 

Dario was arrested and charged with Retail Fuel Theft, Unlawful Conveyance of Fuel, Operating a Motor Vehicle Without a Valid License, and Reckless Driving. He was taken to the Hernando County Detention Center with an $11,000 bond.