Police: Medford Man Stole Heating Oil From Vacant Homes

Two people, including a Medford man, were arrested Saturday night for stealing home heating oil from storage tanks on the property of eight vacant homes in the Mastic area, police said. 

The arrests came after Seventh Precinct officers observed Frank Dawson, 46, and Towania McCrae, 44, pumping oil from the underground tank of an unoccupied home on Hampton Avenue in Mastic and transferring the oil to three storage tanks that they were carrying in the rear of Dawson’s pickup truck, police said.

After the officers arrested the pair, Dawson, of Medford, took the officers to seven other locations in Mastic where he had previously stolen heating oil, police said. 

Dawson is charged with eight counts of petty larceny, one count of criminal trespass and one count of possession of burglar’s tools.

McCrae, of Mastic, is charged with one count of petit larceny and one count of possession of burglar’s tools.

Dawson and McCrae were issued desk appearance tickets and are scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on April 3. 

The case remains under investigation.

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