Q&A
Gasoline, which is selling at roughly $3 a gallon, has become a pricey commodity, and Hummers, other sport utility vehicles and luxury vehicles that hold a substantial amount of gas are inviting targets for thieves. The Denver Post spoke with auto dealers and auto-parts-store managers about the potential for gas theft.
Q: Is gas siphoning on the rise?
A: “We’ve been hearing a lot of talk about it,” said Steve Rule, Cadillac manager for Medved Autoplex in Wheat Ridge. “When you think about it, a Hummer 1 holds 53 gallons. At $3 a gallon, that’s a good amount of cash. Even a Cadillac de Ville holds about 26 gallons.”
Q: How difficult would it be to steal a tank of gas?
A: “Not difficult at all,” said Tony Perry, service manager for Mike Shaw Chevrolet, Buick and Saab dealerships. “Some cars like Saab have locking doors on their gas pipes, but Chevy and Buick don’t have anything. Subaru has a locking door, but it’s not hard to pry open. The best way to stop someone from stealing your gas is to buy a locking gas cap for about $20.”
Q: Where can I buy a locking gas cap?
A: It’s hard locally, for the time being. “We’ve been sold out the past two weeks,” said Andy Giesbrecht, manager of Checker Auto Parts in Arvada. “We can’t keep them in stock.”
Kenyon Murphy, assistant manager of Auto Zone in Aurora, said the same: “We’ve been cleaned out ever since the hurricane. Normally I sell about five a week. I could sell more than 50 a week right now. Everybody is asking for them. I’m hoping to get more in by Wednesday, but all our stores are looking for them.”
– Mike McPhee, Denver Post staff writer
REGIONAL NOTES
AURORA
Victims’ families set golf tourney
The families of two slain college students will host a golf tournament Thursday to raise money for the reward they’re offering for help in solving the case.
The families of Javad Marshall-Fields and Vivian Wolfe, who were killed in Aurora on June 20, have scheduled a four-player scramble at the Saddle Rock Golf Course, 21705 E. Arapahoe Road.
The tourney includes 18 holes of golf, a meal and silent auction. Families will also present the first Fields/Wolfe Memorial scholarship to an incoming freshman attending Colorado State University. For more information, contact Rhonda Fields at 303-340-4878.
Police are seeking information about the case. Call Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
NORTHGLENN
Input sought on sports complex
Northglenn is asking its residents for a little input.
Tonight, the city will host a workshop so residents can voice their opinions about what to do with the Northwest Open Space, a sports-field complex near Pecos Street and Roseanna Drive.
The workshop starts at 6:30 p.m. at Westview Elementary School, 1300 Roseanna Drive. Residents can give input on the design of a new pavilion area that will include picnic shelters, bathrooms and a concession stand, as well as the possible refurbishment of several existing fields and the construction of a small stadium.
AURORA
Festival to celebrate history, fall
The change of the seasons will be celebrated at Harvest at the Homestead from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Plains Conservation Center, 21901 E. Hampden Ave.
Visitors are invited to see history come alive in the 1887 sod village. The festival will feature food, music, demonstrations, displays, kids’ activities and wagon rides. For more information, call 303-693-3621 or go to www.plainscenter.org.
DENVER POST STAFF REPORTS
