PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Darryl Huff has had a tough few months.
You may remember our story when Hough and several neighbors complained about things like: Crater-sized potholes are making life difficult for homes and businesses.
But now Huff is focused on a different challenge.
Hough owns God's Isle Auto Sales in the Southeast division.
In addition to selling cars, we also rent U-Haul trucks.
Since the U-Haul can be returned at any time, it is stored outside the fence, creating a perfect opportunity for gas thieves.
“They punch a hole in the tank and wreak havoc just to get a gallon of gas. And then they just take off and spread the rest of the gas on the ground,” Huff said. said.
He says it happens about once a week, and all of it is recorded on surveillance cameras.
“I've seen people curl up in a ball and just walk down the street with their gas cans. They just stop here, fill themselves with gas and leave,” he said.
Adding to the mess left behind is frustrating for people waiting to rent a Huff or U-Haul.
“Well, there are people who are planning to rent a truck the next morning, but the rental is put on hold. There's some excavation work going on in the tank, so it's a little difficult to meet the needs of our customers,” he said. .
And Hough says he's not alone, a conversation he had with U Hall.
“I asked them, 'I'm surprised you guys keep your trucks here. I've been renting U-haul for about 17 years, and you guys keep your trucks here. 'And they say, 'You're not alone.' I feel a little bit better,” Huff said.
KATU News called a U-Haul regional manager to ask how much of an impact the gas theft has had, but did not receive a response.
However, we spoke with the manager of another U-Haul rental location on Southeast Powell Boulevard. He said he was a victim of gas thieves almost every night until he upgraded his surveillance cameras and had someone watching every night.
I also contacted the Portland Police Bureau to see how many gas theft reports they receive from U-Haul. They told me they couldn't search for stolen gas and that there were so many U-Haul stores in town that he couldn't search each one.
“I often see seven or eight different holes being repaired because people keep drilling holes, and I’ve seen some people leave their drills down here. Their hat falls, they leave them behind,” Huff said.
For now, he plans to keep an eye on the surveillance cameras, which also involves his family.
“I have a camera because we're only five minutes apart. And when things like this happen a lot, my wife has been up all night. She works the night shift, and when she wakes up… I'm reading a book and waiting for something.'' If something happens, she'll wake me up — “Hey, let's go!'' So here we are, chasing them away. ” Huff said.
Hough would like to see some accountability for thieves, but he feels that not enough is being done right now.
“They need to give back in some way, like community service, to stop that.”
