Pumping Gas

COTTONWOOD, Calif. – Tehama County deputies arrested a man late Thursday after he was seen siphoning fuel from school vehicles in Cottonwood.

It happened around 10:30 p.m. Thursday at Evergreen Middle School.

Deputies said staff reported seeing a dark pickup truck enter school grounds and the driver siphoning fuel from school vehicles. When they got there, deputies found 23-year-old Dillon Hobbs hiding behind a school vehicle they said he was siphoning for fuel. They said Hobbs used a pair of bolt cutters to cut the exterior fencing in order to reach the vehicles.

Deputies said this is one of several thefts in the Evergreen School District, where fuel from school vehicles, resources and equipment have been stolen. They said Hobbs is being investigated to see whether he played a role in other incidents.

Hobbs was arrested for misdemeanor vandalism, misdemeanor theft and trespassing. He was booked into the Tehama County Jail.