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A clear sky. Low 62F. Winds light and variable..
A clear sky. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.
A Jamestown man is accused of attempting to steal gasoline from a school bus at an elementary school campus in Chinese Camp last week, the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office said.
In a news release, the Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to Jamestown Elementary School about 10 a.m. Wednesday to investigate a report of vandalism and gas theft from a school bus at the Chinese Camp campus.
A deputy viewed surveillance-camera footage and was able to see the suspect and his vehicle, after which the deputy and school staff drove to the campus and saw the same man and vehicle from the video, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The deputy spoke to the man and “immediately noticed that (he) smelled of diesel fuel,” according to the release.
After detaining the suspect, the deputy conducted a records check and discovered he had warrants for his arrest, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A subsequent search of the suspect’s vehicles uncovered several fuel cans, hoses, a homemade hand-pump system, a large tank and drug paraphernalia, the Sheriff’s Office said, in addition to two plastic tubs containing diesel fuel that the deputy reportedly found under the school bus.
“The fuel tank had been drilled into and a fitting that appeared to be homemade had been installed into the tank,” the release stated. “Damage to the fuel tank was estimated to be around $1,500 and approximately $195 in diesel fuel had been removed from the bus.”
Spencer Stewart, 29, was arrested and booked into the Dambacher Detention Center that day on suspicion of felony vandalism and several misdemeanor warrants for failing to appear on drug-related charges.
Stewart was released on his own recognizance Thursday morning after receiving a date to appear in Tuolumne County Superior Court, according to the jail.