Alleged heating fuel thief indicted

BANGOR, MAINE – A Brewer man who reportedly stole thousands of gallons of heating fuel last April and sold it to customers at a significantly reduced rate was indicted Monday by a Penobscot County grand jury.

Benjamin Tibbetts III, 30, was charged with Class B theft, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Tibbetts and another man, Michael Gonsalves, 41, of Kenduskeag, were arrested in April 2005 on separate probation violations, but investigators believed that they were responsible for the theft of nearly $17,000 in fuel from a Milford retailer.

Tibbetts was believed to be the principal in the thefts, while Gonsalves lined up prospective customers, according to Michael Roberts, Penobscot County deputy district attorney.

Bangor Daily News