WHERE: Agricultural areas of Collier County
WHEN: Wednesday, July 16, 2008
ARRESTED: John Hall, 24, of Clewiston
ARRESTED: Jorge Felix Llerena, 41, of Lehigh Acres
ARRESTED: Jose C. Llerena, 38, of Lehigh Acres
SUMMARY: Hall and the Llerena brothers were arrested in connection with a tri-county law enforcement operation aimed at curbing fuel thefts in rural Collier.
There has been an upswing in reports of red diesel fuel thefts in Collier in recent weeks and CCSO is trying to respond to the problem, deputies said. Thieves are targeting farms, ranches and heavy equipment sites.
The tax law allows diesel fuel used for certain off-the-road purposes such as agriculture to be sold tax free. This tax-exempt fuel is dyed red to distinguish it from fuel that has been taxed.
CCSO deputies, along with deputies from Lee and Hendry counties, participated in a special operation this week in an effort to crack down on this type of fuel theft.
Similar operations are planned throughout the year, deputies said.
According to arrest reports:
* Deputies found a blue plastic 55-gallon drum, two 5-gallon oil cans, a fuel transfer pump and hoses inside Jorge and Jose Llerena’s truck. Deputies stopped the brothers after they parked their truck next to several pieces of heavy equipment on State Road 82 around 2 a.m. Wednesday. Jorge Llerena got out of the truck and approached the equipment with a flashlight. They drove away after they spotted a deputy in an unmarked patrol truck parked nearby. Deputies initiated a traffic stop in which they received permission to search the truck. Both men were charged with loitering or prowling.
* Hall was inside an SUV that was parked in some bushes off of State Road 29 around 2:19 a.m. in an area where farm burglaries have been reported in recent weeks. Hall told deputies that he was waiting for his girlfriend, but was unable to tell them her name or where she lived. He was charged with loitering or prowling and driving without a valid license.
Llerena, Jorge
Llerena, Jose
Hall, John
