A City of Tacoma fuel card was used 11 times after it was stolen from a city truck, according to court records.
TACOMA, Wash. — A man has been charged after a stolen City of Tacoma fuel card was used to buy more than $1,100 in gas, according to Pierce County court records.
The man was charged Monday in Pierce County Superior Court with second-degree theft and second-degree possession of stolen property.
The case began after a City of Tacoma code compliance officer reported that a fuel card had been taken from a city-owned 2023 Ford F-150 parked in a secured garage at 110 S. 10th St. in Tacoma.
The truck did not appear to be damaged and may have been left unlocked, according to court records.
The card was used 11 times in Tacoma and Fife between April 22 and April 26, with charges totaling $1,156.43, the records say.
According to court records, surveillance video showed a man in a blue Tesla meeting other vehicles at the pumps, including an RV.
Police said the same RV was found near the Tesla in the area of East 25th Street on May 29.
Police said the man was contacted inside the RV and detained. After being advised of his rights, he told officers he knew the card belonged to the City of Tacoma and that using it was wrong, according to court records.
The man also told police he used the card 20 to 30 times before it was shut off, the records say.
When asked about the card, he said it was either in the RV or in his wallet, but officers did not find it.
Police said they found a Petro Fuel Card sleeve and a City of Tacoma “Classy Chassis” fleet card in the wallet. Both had markings tying them to the City of Tacoma, according to court records.
When asked whether he had been selling tanks of gas or giving them away, the man told officers that some fuel was provided to friends for free and other fuel was sold, according to the documents.
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