2 Men Accused of Stealing Gas From Underground Tanks

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — Two men are behind bars after authorities said they stole gas from underground tanks.

On Thursday, Sgt. S.E. Mozingo, of the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, observed a Ford Bronco pulling an enclosed trailer parked in the PVA of Johnny’s Mart on Highway 111 South.

Mozingo believed the driver was having mechanical problems, so he approached the vehicle to offer assistance.

Mozingo was talking to Shane Allen English, 48, of Goldsboro, when he observed a hand appear from underneath the trailer replacing the cap onto the underground fuel tank of the store.

Upon further investigation, Mozingo found that the enclosed trailer was set up to siphon fuel from underground fuel tanks. Five 55-gallon drums, an electric fuel pump and several feet of siphoning hose were found inside the trailer.

Authorities said a hole had been cut into the floor of the trailer, allowing the suspects to access the underground tanks from inside the enclosed trailer.

English and another man, Reuben Elmon Wood, 42, of Seven Springs, were arrested and charged with larceny of motor fuel. Both men are in the Wayne County Jail on $5,000 bond.