Local News in Brief : Fountain Valley : Four Held in Theft of Service Station Money

Four men arrested on suspicion of theft may be linked to a series of similar thefts from gas stations and liquor stores elsewhere in California and in Nevada and Arizona, police said Tuesday.

The men were arrested Monday after they allegedly attempted to pilfer money from Hart’s Chevron at Magnolia and Talbert avenues, Fountain Valley Police Sgt. Larry Griswold said.

One of the men apparently diverted an employee’s attention while another stole money from the office, Griswold said. The employee, sensing something was wrong, noticed that the money was gone and cornered the men as they were leaving the parking lot.

“He confronted them and they gave him back the money,” Griswold said.

The men drove off but the employee called the police, who eventually arrested the men on the San Gabriel River Freeway.

Officers found $2,000 in cash in the men’s car, Griswold said.

During interviews with police, the suspects told investigators that they “had been supporting themselves doing this for several years” in California, Arizona and Nevada, Griswold said.

However, police have not yet tied the men to any other crimes, he said.

Arrested on suspicion of grand theft were: William T. Gumfory, 31, Steven A. Glandon, 38, and Charles T. Dalton, 35, all of Sun Valley, and David E. Jones, 36, of Palmdale.

All were being held at Orange County Jail--Gumfory in lieu of $25,000 bail, the others in lieu of $10,000 bail each.