Crime & Safety
5 Felony Charges Issued In White Marsh Suspicious Van Case
A 30-year-old man paid for gas using Royal Farms gift cards that police said were improperly used.
WHITE MARSH, MD — A 30-year-old La Plata man faces five felony charges after police said a van he was driving was found with dozens of Royal Farms gift cards and large tanks filled with fuel in the cargo area, police said. Where and how he obtained the gift cards remains under investigation, police said.
Tyrone Gerard Uyaha Strickland, 30, of the 400 block of Patuxent Court, is charged with five counts of felony misuse of credit card/payment device because of the Royal Farms gift cards, according to authorities. He was slated to appear for a bail hearing at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, in Baltimore County District Court.
The charges stemmed from a police response to a call about a suspicious white van that was being filled inside the cargo area with diesel fuel at the Royal Farms at 10740 Pulaski Highway near Ebenezer Road at 3:34 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10.
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The arriving officer saw a van with a Virginia license plate at the diesel fuel pump. As the officer approached the van, the driver pulled away and tried to leave the parking lot, according to police. However, the officer followed and made a stop.
"The officer conducted an investigative traffic stop on the van and determined that the driver had committed an arrestable traffic violation and was taken into custody," police reported.
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RELATED: Man Arrested In Suspicious Van Case At White Marsh Royal Farms
Strickland was arrested Tuesday night and charged with driving on a revoked license and issued other relevant traffic citations, such as failure to display a registration card and failure to display license to uniformed police officer on demand.
Officials said Strickland told them he paid for gas with Royal Farms gift cards that the owner of the van — a Virginia man — asked him to use for filling the fuel tanks.
The Virginia man denied knowing anything about the gift cards and said he rented the van without the fuel tanks inside, according to authorities.
"Where and how [Strickland] obtained those gift cards remains under investigation," police reported Wednesday.
SEE ALSO: White Marsh Hazmat Call May Be Tied To Theft, Officials Say
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