Gas Station Drive-Offs Fall on Car Owner's Shoulders

If your boyfriend or girlfriend, or son or daughter, borrows your car, goes to the local gas station to fill it up, and drives off without paying, you will be the one held responsible for the theft.

Thanks to a new city ordinance approved by the Common Council on Tuesday, the owner of a vehicle involved in the theft of motor fuel, which includes, but is not limited to gasoline, diesel fuel and ethanol, would be held accountable for the violation.

There are exceptions to the ordinance:

• A report to that the vehicle was stolen was made to a law enforcement agency was made prior to the violation.
• The owner of the vehicle provides the police department with the name and address of the person who stole the gas and that person admits to operating the vehicle at the time of the violation. In such cases, the person operating the vehicle and not the owner would be charged.
• If it is a leased vehicle and the car is in possession of the lessee and not the lessor, the lessee would be charged.
• If the vehicle is owned by a dealer, and the gas is stolen during a test drive, the person operating the vehicle would be charged, assuming the dealer can provide the police department with that person’s identity.