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Police: Man stole 2,221 gallons of heating oil from LP school

LAKE PLACID – Police say a Pennsylvania man stole 2,221 gallons of heating oil from Lake Placid Middle-High School.

The Lake Placid Police Department arrested Robert A. Detter, 48, of Shartlesville, Pennsylvania, at 2:08 a.m. Friday, Aug. 17 and charged him with grand larceny in the third degree, a class D felony.

The investigation, which began Aug. 8, revealed that hidden within the defendant’s box truck were tanks he was using to collect and transport the fuel.

“The suspect had special equipment to pump the fuel from the tank,” LPPD Assistant Chief Charles Dobson said.

He said the oil was taken on two separate occasions: the nights of Aug. 3-4 and 4-5.

“We had developed, through the investigation, a description of the suspect’s vehicle and distributed it to law enforcement,” Dobson said. A state trooper who had seen the bulletin recognized the suspect’s vehicle parked on state Route 73 in the town of North Elba. The trooper, who was off duty at the time, reported it, and Lake Placid police were able to make the arrest.

“We were happy and surprised he came back to the area,” Dobson said of Detter.

Detter was processed, arraigned and remanded to the Essex County Jail in lieu of a $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. He remained in jail as of Monday evening.

Police are still investigating why Detter was here from Pennsylvania, according to Dobson. So far there doesn’t seem to be any connection between Detter and the school’s fuel oil supplier.

“It’s probably going to get bigger, expand beyond Lake Placid,” Dobson said. “I think there may be charges pending in other jurisdictions.”

The current average price of heating oil in the North Country is $3.05 a gallon, according to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. That would give the stolen fuel a market value of $6,774.

Dobson said he can recall one prior case of heating fuel theft in the village, but it was nowhere near this volume.

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