Florida men Rui Gen Lin, 48, of St. Johns & Rong Chen, 41, of Gainesville spent some time sitting in the Flagler County Jail, aka the “Green Roof Inn” after the two were caught stealing “Liquid Gold” (used cooking oil) from a Flagler County restaurant.
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Used cooking oil can be used for the production of diesel fuel. It’s in high demand and thieves can sell it on the black market for huge profits.
Flagler County Deputy Kyle Gaddie was working the graveyard shift and as calls started slowing down, he started conducting business checks in the area of State Road 100 & Interstate 95. At 3:15 AM he did a check on the Woody’s Barbeque Restaurant, and something just wasn’t right.
Gaddie came across two men wearing headlamps who were using an electric pump to suck used cooking oil out of a waste tank located in a gated enclosure behind the restaurant. The pair had an efficient setup and were pumping the used oil into a large storage tank they had placed inside a large white unmarked box truck. The truck also contained bolt cutters and a pry bar.
#BREAKING – #Floridamen accused of stealing $5K worth of used cooking oil from Woody's Bar-B-Que in #PalmCoast, @FlaglerSheriff says. Rui Gen Lin and Rong Chen pumped 7,000 pounds used oil from vat into box truck's storage containers. #news13flagler @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/IAyK5FTp9e
— Kevin P. Connolly (@KevinPConnolly_) October 6, 2022
Police Arrest Used Cooking Oil Thieves in Florida#crimecamnow #police #dashcam #chase #crime #dui #suspect #cop #news #pit #cops #jail #pursuit #speeding #dwi #speed #car #bodycam #arrested #arrest #cookingoil #theft #stolen #florida pic.twitter.com/nGWhO1cQ6s
— CrimeCamNow (@crimecamnow) October 6, 2022
Two men face burglary and theft charges after deputies caught them with about $5,000 worth of stolen, used cooking oil, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. https://t.co/OcC04P8TL8
— News 6 WKMG (@news6wkmg) October 6, 2022
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The entire encounter was caught on the deputies body cam.
Lin, who owns L&L recycling in Jacksonville claimed to be making a pickup, but that was not the case. The owner of the restaurant was contacted, and he advised there was no oil pickup scheduled and he would press charges.
“This kind of crime is why we conduct business checks on closed businesses,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “With the price of oil rising, the theft of used cooking oil is increasing across the country. This was a great job by deputy Kyle Gaddie for seeing something suspicious while on patrol and stopping to check it out. These two grease bags made the mistake of coming to Flagler County and were taken to the Green Roof Inn”
It is estimated the pair had accumulated approximately 7,000 gallons of used cooking oil in their tank, valued at approximately $5,000. The truck was seized as evidence and the Sheriff will request forfeiture.
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The pair were arrested and charged with burglary to an unoccupied structure, petit theft, and possession of burglary tools. They were transported to the Flagler County Jail, and each held on $5,500 Bond.
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