Gas Siphoned from Boys & Girls Club Vans

Police were on the lookout for culprits responsible for allegedly draining the gas tanks dry on vans operated by the Boys and Girls Club in Murrieta.

The missing gas was reported at about 11:40 a.m. Monday. The vans were parked near the at 40550 California Oaks Road, at .

Murrieta police Lt. Tony Conrad confirmed gas was siphoned from three vehicles. Police took a report on the petty theft case, he said.

The vans are used to transport children to and from the clubhouse and schools in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District.

John Whann, director of operations for Boys and Girls Clubs of Southwest County, which operates the Murrieta clubhouse along with clubs in Temecula and Lake Elsinore, said the gas tanks were padlocked because it has happened before.

"We did that to try and prevent that from happening again and it still happened," Whann said.

Whann believes that at some point over the weekend, culprits broke the padlocks and drained the gas tanks.

"The drivers went to start the vans Monday morning but they were emptied out," he said.

The club was still able to get the children to school, however, by replacing the gas that was allegedly stolen.

"Any time we are spending money on vandalism it takes away from money that can be invested in programming and in our youth," said Whann, of the nonprofit organization that serves youth 6 to 18 years old.

"It is always terrible when we have to spend money to repay for padlocks and get gas. It starts us off on Monday morning in a bind. But it hasn't slowed us down, even though it was challenging getting the kids to school."

Anyone with information on possible suspects may call the at 951-696-3615. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through "We Tip" at 1-800-78-Crime.