Owner frustrated
By reporter Steven Smalley
Thieves were at it again early this morning (Thursday) about 1:15 a.m. at the Magnolia Shell station at 34th & Government Way. This time they went after the propane tank that sits outside, as seen on video provided by Sam Nasif, owner of the station.
The video shows a man and a woman taking up to five propane tanks out of a Honda Accord, license 270 YGR. What the perps didn’t seem to know was the the tank is powered by electricity that is shut off every night by employees, according to Nasif.
The car was licensed to a man in Lynnwood who sold it to another man who had a Minnesota address. The buyer never transferred the title, according to Nasif.
“The thieves got a little propane that was pressurized in the system. Without power they were not able to get much,” explained Nasif. “The lock looked like it had been jimmied. Between the time the meter was read at closing, to the next day, it looked like we lost 33 gallons – between the theft and the leakage.”
This is the same gas station that was hit with a smash and grab robbery September 28. Additionally, Nasif says the woman in his video matches the video of another incident showing her prowling around the front porch of a neighbor who had the activity recorded.
“It’s frustrating,” says Nasif. “Whoever broke into our propane tank today are RV guys. I tracked that information down. The car that stole the propane was seen a couple of days ago off Commodore Way next to an RV that was dealing drugs. I have two properties on Magnolia and I pay $50,000 a year in property taxes. There aren’t enough police here.”
A Seattle police spokesperson tells Magnolia Voice the department has three separate investigations looking into crimes such as these in this area. Since the call from Nasif was a non-violent, non-emergency call, then it is put in the queue and handled in that order.
