CEDAR CITY — Cedar City Police have arrested a Las Vegas man suspected of stealing hundreds of gallons of gasoline in three separate incidents dating back to November.
After being detained by police following a traffic stop on Jan. 9, Yoel Otero Camejo, 50, was booked into Iron County Jail later that afternoon.
According to the probable cause statement filed in support of his arrest, Camejo and another man had been observed filling up their vehicles — a white Ford Expedition and a black Chevrolet Tahoe — for nearly one hour at a gas station located on Cedar City’s Main Street on Jan. 9. The person who reported the incident said the men had used seven different financial cards to make the transactions and steal approximately $700 worth of gas.
The complainant was able to provide police with detailed descriptions and license plate numbers of the vehicles, which both had Nevada plates.
Camejo, who was driving the Expedition, was pulled over by officers on Interstate 15 a short time later, according to the affidavit. However, the other suspect vehicle and its driver were not located.
As he was being questioned by police in Spanish, Camejo reportedly claimed he’d used his own personal credit card to buy the gasoline, and that he’d never stopped in Cedar City before.
However, police investigators reportedly found that none of Camejo’s personal financial cards matched the card numbers used for the transactions at the gas pumps. Additionally, the two suspect vehicles appeared to match those depicted in surveillance footage taken during similar incidents two days apart at another gas station in Cedar City in November.
The first incident reportedly took place in the early morning hours of Nov. 15, when two SUVs, a white Ford and a back Chevrolet, were parked at adjacent pumps for nearly 45 minutes.
“It was advised a credit card was used to start the pump but the pump was broken into and the counter was deactivated. thus leaving the gasoline to be pumped for free,” the affidavit states, adding that approximately $1,300 worth of gasoline was stolen, in addition to $600 worth of damage being done to the pump.
Two days later, just after 5 a.m. on Nov. 17, a similar incident occurred at the same gas station, with that theft involving 123 gallons of premium gasoline at $4.51 per gallon for a total of about $554.
According to the probable cause statement, Camejo refused to provide any information to police about the black SUV or the man who was driving it.
Camejo is being held without bail in Iron County Jail on suspicion of multiple charges of unlawful possession and unlawful use of a financial card, motor vehicle fuel theft and criminal mischief. Three of the counts are classified as third-degree felonies, while the other six are listed as class A misdemeanors.
Camejo made his initial appearance in 5th District Court on Jan. 11. His next scheduled appearance is a status of counsel hearing on Tuesday.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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