A Naples woman who last year paid $15 for more than 200 gallons of gas at a RaceTrac gas station off Collier Boulevard changed her plea Wednesday, Dec. 18, and as a result, is banned from RaceTrac gas stations across five counties.
Yuliet Sanchez Centella, 30, pleaded no contest to charges of physically tampering with a fuel dispenser, modifying or possessing a modified fuel tank, unlawful conveyance of fuel using a motor vehicle, criminal mischief, and grand theft.
Collier Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier sentenced Sanchez Centella to two years of community control, followed by two years of state probation.
Krier also ordered that Sanchez Centella pay a monthly minimum of $100 toward restitution and not trespass RaceTrac gas stations across the 20th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties.
The deputy who responded to the call in July 2023 spoke with a RaceTrac corporate office representative, who monitored the pumps at the station. The representative said he was alerted that the pumps were manipulated when a golden Dodge Ram pickup parked at pump No. 7.
In one week, that pump experienced five thefts with the same vehicles involved.
The truck pulled up to the pump at 7:24 a.m., and a male began to pump gas. It pumped for 27 minutes, totaling 216 gallons, according to the report.
About 10 minutes later, a black Mercedes SUV pulled up behind the truck on the side of the pump. Sanchez Centella exited the SUV and walked over to the man from the truck. She then drove the truck with the stolen fuel.
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Sanchez Centella provided her debit card and said she paid $15 for the fuel, according to the report. She told deputies she left to get a Red Bull while the pump continued pumping fuel. The man fled the scene in the SUV and was not located.
Sheriff’s deputies said Sanchez Centella changed her story multiple times.
They established probable cause and searched the pickup for any devices that could have been used to manipulate the pump for theft. Deputies did not find any devices in the truck at the scene and believe it must be in the SUV that fled, according to the report.
Based on the gas prices at the time, authorities said, Sanchez Centella stole over $750.
Photos of pump seven show the diesel system had been manipulated and was missing screws, according to the report.
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Naples woman pleads no contest to RaceTrac gas pump theft
