DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — A Florida gas station employee called the police after they spotted a man with temporary Texas tags pumping gas into the back of his pickup instead of his vehicle.
A Delray Beach police officer conducted a high-risk felony traffic stop on a white Chevy Silverado driven by Yasmany Gonzalez Morejon on April 27 near a Mobil gas station.
The arrest report, obtained by WPEC, said the officer treated the incident as “high risk” because “Texas temp tags are widely used to mask criminal activity to include stolen vehicles.”
Morejon was detained while the officer inspected the vehicle. The officer found a large metallic gas tank that included a gas pump nozzle in the pickup bed concealed by a cover. The cover had a cutout to access the tank externally, according to police.
The officer said that the Texas temporary tags were “registered to a Nissan Sentra and not a Chevy.” Underneath the temporary tags, the officer found registered Florida tags that were registered to Morejon, according to WPEC.
Morejon, 34, was later charged with having a tag attached that was not assigned and possession of a counterfeit tag. He was also charged with unlawful conveyance of fuel, a third-degree felony.
According to Florida Statute 316.80, it is illegal for anyone to possess a vehicle equipped with fuel tanks, bladders, drums or other containers that do not conform to federal regulations or have not been approved by the U.S. DOT.