A 37-year-old man was arrested at a truck stop in Ocala after he allegedly used a credit card belonging to a fuel company to steal nearly $450 worth of gas.
On Monday, November 18, Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to Love’s Travel Stop (7791 NW 47th Avenue in Ocala) in reference to a fuel theft incident that was in progress. Upon arrival, a manager told deputies that an individual parked at one of the pumps – later identified as Fermin Luis Quintana-Galindo – was using a fraudulent credit card to purchase $448.58 in fuel, according to the arrest report.
An MCSO corporal noted in the report that Quintana-Galindo was the driver of a semi-truck parked at the fuel pump, and the vehicle also had an unidentified passenger who was not charged.
The report stated that Love’s Travel Stop had “flagged” the semi-truck for “possibly being involved in fraudulent fuel purchases for the past few months.” When the business became aware that the semi-truck had returned to one of the fuel pumps, a manager confirmed that the credit card being used for the purchase belonged to a fuel company.
The fuel company further informed the truck stop manager that Quintana-Galindo was “not authorized” to use the credit card in question.
While at the incident location, the corporal was shown video surveillance footage of the fuel transaction, which showed Quintana-Galindo exiting the semi-truck before completing the purchase with “what appeared to be a [credit] card,” according to the report.
Quintana-Galindo was detained in handcuffs and transported to the sheriff’s office for questioning. After being read his Miranda rights, Quintana-Galindo allegedly claimed that he was “having problems” with the semi-truck, and he was “driving it to see what the problem was” before bringing the vehicle to a mechanic that he knows. Quintana-Galindo then stated that the mechanic is in Tampa, which is where he lives.
When asked why he would drive to Marion County if his mechanic is in Tampa, Quintana-Galindo stated that he was “just driving.” He also claimed that he had used his bank card to purchase the fuel at the incident location, though the report stated that the numbers on his bank card did not match those on the credit card that was listed on the truck stop’s transaction receipt.
Quintana-Galindo was arrested and transported to Marion County Jail. He was released the following day after posting a $5,500 bond. He is being charged with fraudulent use of a credit card, misuse of personal identification, and petit theft over $300 but less than $750.
A court date has not been scheduled yet, according to jail records.