Suspect confesses in theft of 20,000 gallons of gas along I-5 in Washington, Oregon

By his own admission, the gas thief offered his customers a choice: premium unleaded or diesel, at half-price.

David Beltran Torres had plenty of juice to spare — 20,000 gallons at least, enough to fill the tanks of 1,000 midsize pickups, or 1,500 puny sedans.

Torres, suspected of draining fuel from gas stations up and down the I-5 corridor between Bellingham and Oregon, confessed to the string of thefts, according to a probable cause affidavit filed late Wednesday by the King County Sheriff’s Office.

He was arrested earlier that day in Lakewood, Pierce County, after a low-speed chase. King County and Gig Harbor investigators have pegged him as the likely culprit in a series of thefts at 15 places.

Torres, 36, waived his right to a court appearance Thursday. He has not been formally charged, but a judge found probable cause to hold him on suspicion of theft and trafficking in stolen property. Torres also faced an active arrest warrant for violating the terms of his community supervision by the state Department of Corrections. He is scheduled to appear in court today.

Surveillance videos from gas stations in White Center and Gig Harbor led investigators to his red pickup. The first video was taken Feb. 12. The rest, recorded over several weeks at multiple locations, follow the same pattern: a man, later identified by investigators as Torres, pulls up to the pump, fills 55-gallon barrels with fuel and leaves.

The full range of the thefts is still unclear, said King County sheriff’s spokesman John Urquhart. In his videotaped confession, Torres explained his method, provided the estimate of 20,000 gallons, and said he sold the fuel at half price to people he knew.

“There’s a lot we still haven’t figured out,” Urquhart said.

The earlier warrant stems from a 2004 conviction in Thurston County. Torres was found guilty of two counts of second-degree assault and possession of a stolen gun and sentenced to two years in prison.