Yavapai County law enforcement says two Nevada residents have been taken into custody and a third person remains at large following the reported theft of a large quantity of diesel fuel from two gas stations in the small Mohave County community of Seligman. Authorities announced the arrests Wednesday after investigators traced the suspected theft to a U-Haul truck observed in the area, discovered fuel leaking from the vehicle and followed evidence that led them to a hotel room where two men were detained. The total volume recovered and tied to the incident—about 2,100 gallons—matches the amount reported missing from the pumps earlier in the week.
Local deputies began their inquiry after employees at two Seligman service stations reported that substantial amounts of diesel had been siphoned from their pumps in the early hours of Friday. Seligman sits along historic Route 66 between Flagstaff and Kingman, and the thefts prompted a multiagency response when patterns in the reports suggested the incidents were related. A deputy patrolling the area located a U-Haul truck that matched the description supplied by witnesses and investigators, and observed what appeared to be diesel fuel leaking from the cargo area. Footprints were visible leading away from the spill and toward a nearby motel, a trail that helped connect the vehicle to a specific room and the people inside.
A Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office vehicle parked behind a U-Haul trailer at the scene, where deputies say suspects used the truck in the theft of thousands of gallons of diesel.
Investigators from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Bureau and troopers with the Arizona Department of Public Safety joined the probe as it progressed, searching the motel room and the vehicle for evidence. Inside the room, deputies reported finding items they say were connected to the thefts, including an assortment of tools, what was described as a credit card skimmer and the keys to the U-Haul. Those items, along with the visible diesel trail, were used to establish probable cause for arrests. Law enforcement officials also examined the truck more closely and located seven fuel tanks in the cargo area that collectively held roughly the same amount of diesel authorities say was taken from the gas stations.
Large plastic fuel totes and a hand truck inside a trailer, shown by deputies as recovered fuel containers tied to the alleged theft of about 2,100 gallons of diesel.
Two men identified as 37-year-old Dachel Roberto Michel Campos and 23-year-old Jesus Daniel Rodriguez Yordy, both listed as residents of Las Vegas, were booked into the Yavapai County jail on charges that include burglary and theft. Deputies say the weight of the physical evidence and the amount of fuel recovered factored into the decisions to book the men on those charges. Authorities have not released additional information about court dates, bond or other case-processing details as the investigation continues and additional interviews are conducted.
A third person believed to be involved fled the scene in a black Ford F-650 flatbed truck before deputies arrived, according to the sheriff’s office. That individual has not been identified publicly, and investigators are asking anyone with information about the vehicle or the person who left in it to come forward. Law enforcement officials emphasized that the search for the third suspect remains active, and they continue to follow leads developed through witness statements, physical evidence recovered at the scene and investigative work by multiple agencies.
Anyone who may have information relevant to the case has been asked to contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office at 928-771-3260 or to use the Yavapai Silent Witness tip line at 800-932-3232. Deputies encourage people with video, photos or observations of suspicious activity in the Seligman area around the time of the thefts to share that material with investigators. The recovered fuel tanks and other items remain part of the active investigation as authorities continue to piece together the sequence of events that led to the reported loss of roughly 2,100 gallons of diesel from two stations in Seligman earlier in the week.