Occurred Thursday, May 17, 2012, 7:00am, 1701 Rand Morgan Road, Burglary to a Vehicle and Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information 1205170043

A 42-year-old man was arrested Thursday at The Bible Believers Baptist Church for siphoning gasoline out of a churh van in the parking lot.

A 52-year-old man had his attention raised when he saw a red 1989 Chevy 1500 pickup parked next to a white van that belongs to the church. The 52-year-old man discovered that 42-year-old James Cavett (4/18/1970) siphoned gasoline out of the church van.

Corpus Christi Police Officers arrived and discovered that Cavett had credit cards that did not belong to Cavett. Cavett was charged with Burglary of a motor vehicle and Fraudulent Use or Possession of Identifying Information. Cavett’s vehicle was taken to the city impound and Cavett was delivered to the city detention center.

The Burglary of a motor vehicle charge is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a $4,000 fine.  Cavett was charged with the burglary for entering the van (with the use of a hose) to take the gasoline. The Fraudulent Possession of Identifying Information charge is a 3^rd degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

The Corpus Christi Police Department encourages the use of locking gas caps to reduce the risk of this type of crime. Vehicles are usually safest when parked in a garage if one is available. Use a car alarm if the vehicle is so equipped. Watch for any unusual activity and call police immediately if there is a suspicious person.  Additional safety tips can be found at the Corpus Christi police website at www.cctexas.com/police.