Customer who couldn’t afford $416 gas bill had to return next day to pay, sheriff says
A Virginia driver narrowly avoided criminal charges after law enforcement said he pumped more than $400 worth of gas but couldn’t foot the bill.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 22, at a MAPCO station in Falmouth, Virginia, just outside of Fredericksburg, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies were called to the gas station the following morning just after 5 a.m.
A clerk reportedly told the responding deputy that a regular customer bought 86 gallons of diesel fuel the previous day for $416.95 but “was only able to pay a small portion of the bill,” the sheriff’s office said.
About $352 was still outstanding.
The customer had promised to return and pay what was left, according to the sheriff’s office, but the clerk grew concerned as time wore on and called law enforcement. By the time the deputy made contact with the customer, he was reportedly on his way with the money.
“The tab was subsequently paid and all is well…except the price of fuel!” the sheriff’s office quipped.
Gas prices spiked after the U.S. banned all imports of Russian oil and gas earlier this month in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. By March 11, they reached a national average of $4.33 per gallon — beating the previous high of $4.10 from 2008, McClatchy News reported.
Prices were tapering off amid falling oil prices as of March 19, The Associated Press reported.
This story was originally published March 24, 2022 at 6:32 PM with the headline "Customer who couldn’t afford $416 gas bill had to return next day to pay, sheriff says."
