Police say two people were arrested on Saturday night for stealing heating oil from several homes in the Mastic area. Suffolk County Police are saying a total of eight vacant homes had their heating oil stolen during the scam.
On Saturday night, police observed 46-year-old Frank Dawson and 44-year-old Towania McCrae pumping heating oil from the underground tank of an unoccupied home on Hampton Avenue in Mastic. The two allegedly transferred the oil into three storage tanks in the back of Dawson’s truck.
After Dawson and McCrae were arrested, police say Dawson showed them seven more locations where he had stolen oil from. All eight Mastic homes were unoccupied, and police did not say how much oil was stolen.
Dawson is from Maple Lane in Medford. He is being charged with eight counts of Petit Larceny, one count of Criminal Trespassing in the 3rd degree and one count of Possession of Burglary Tools.
McCrae lives on Clymer Place in Mastic and is being charged with one count of Petit Larceny and one count of Possession of Burglary Tools. McCrae is not being charged with helping Dawson steal from the seven other locations, but police are still investigating the case.
Both Dawson and McCrae will be arraigned at the Federal District Court in Central Islip on April 3.
