Man with meth tried to light gas pump on fire and cut hose with hatchet, sheriff says

An Oklahoma man is in a Kansas jail after a sheriff says he was caught on video trying to set gas pumps on fire after cutting its hose with a hatchet.

Deputies were first dispatched to Murphy’s Oil west of Independence, Kansas, on Tuesday for a criminal damage report, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. A review of security video showed a man who “allegedly attempted to set the gas pumps on fire after cutting the hose with a hatchet type tool.”

The sheriff’s office said that deputies arrested Fredrick Asa Tracewell, of Dewey, Oklahoma, and obtained a search warrant for his property. During the search, investigators found what they think was the hatchet used to cut the hose on the gas pump, as well as methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Tracewell, 37, was booked into the Montgomery County Jail on suspicion of criminal damage to property, attempted arson, possession of meth and possession of drug paraphernalia.

This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 9:39 PM.