Gas drive-offs rip off all

By Sajit Abraham / Selma Times – Journal

Gas station drive-offs are a growing problem in Selma.

Lt. David Evans of the Selma Police Department said that even though the number of gas station drive-offs here is fairly high, the best way to combat the problem is for bystanders or gas station employees to get the tag number and report the offender to police.

Donna Tarley, an employee at the Citgo gas station on Dallas Avenue, said that she remembers one gas station drive off where she saw the car driving away.

The problem of gas station drive-offs is costly for everyone. It drives up the cost of operating for gas station owners, who then pass those costs on to customers. For gas station employees there is an added incentive in preventing drive-offs. In an effort to prevent employee theft, some gas stations charge the employee on duty for the cost of any drive-offs that occur on their shift.

Other stations insist that the employee on duty fill out a police report on any drive-offs.

Steve Davis, the owner of the Davis-Amoco gas station on Highway 22, also remembered a similar incident, in which he saw a car driving away from his gas station.

Davis said that what he usually does when a drive off occurs is to try and get the tag number and then report it to police.

Davis said that the incident did cause him some problems.