Switz City man accused of stealing $3.02 worth of gas

A Switz City man was arrested last Friday after he allegedly failed to pay for $3.02 worth of gas at a Linton station then when a deputy was looking for him, he fled on a dirt bike.

Quintin Levi Resler

Quintin Levi Resler, 20, Switz City, was arrested by Deputy James Carpenter of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department last Friday afternoon, November 6.

Last Friday morning, a man on a blue dirt bike pumped $3.02 worth of gas at the Friendly Porch gas station and convenience store on State Road 54 east of Linton. The man didn’t pay for the gas but left a name (Zach) and phone number and said he would be back to pay. He left the station and headed east on SR 54. About an hour later, the man had not returned and an employee called the sheriff’s department.

Deputy Carpenter responded and talked to the employee who said when she called the number and asked for the man by the name he left, a man answered and said it wasn’t Zach’s phone. The employee said when the man was at the station, he said he lived in the area near the Carpet Center which would be the area near County Road 800 West and SR 54. The employee provided photos of the man inside the station and at the gas pumps.

Around 2:30 that day, when Deputy Carpenter was on patrol, sitting in an area on Base Road east of CR 800 West, he saw a man on a blue dirt bike turn onto Base Road from CR 800 West. The man then stopped suddenly, sat on the bike for a few seconds then turned around and headed west on Base Road at a high rate of speed. At the intersection of Base Road and CR 800 West, the man allegedly did not signal a turn or stop but turned right to go northbound on CR 800 West. The deputy hit the lights to initiate a traffic stop.

The dirt bike did not stop and Deputy Carpenter advised dispatch the dirt bike was attempting to avoid the stop. Deputy Carpenter said the dirt bike did not stop for a railroad track but ramped the tracks then headed west on CR 50 North.

When Deputy Carpenter turned onto CR 50 North, he didn’t see the dirt bike and there was no dust from the gravel road at the end of the blacktop so he started looking around to locate the bike. At a residence on CR 50 North, he saw a man walk from behind a shed and go into the shed. The man ordered to stop was wearing the same hat as the man in the photos from the gas station.

The rider was identified as Quintin Resler who said he was not trying to run but was just trying to get home and not get in trouble. When asked if he had gone to get gas that day, Resler allegedly first said no then finally acknowledged he had.

Resler was taken into custody and transported to the Greene County Jail where he was booked in at 3:20 p.m. His bond was set at $5,500 surety with ten percent cash allowed. He posted $550 and was released the next day.

When Resler appears in court, he will be formally charged with:

• Resisting law enforcement using a vehicle, a Level 6 felony,

• Reckless driving at unreasonable speed that endangers safety, a Class C misdemeanor, and

• Theft, a Class A misdemeanor.

Deputy Carpenter noted that an employee at the station contacted him on November 7 to tell him Resler’s family member had been in to the station later on November 6 to pay $3.02 for the gas.