Jet fuel truck stolen from airport

Theft of 2,000 gallons raises security concerns

A truck carrying 2,000 gallons of jet fuel was stolen Thursday evening or Friday morning from the Muhlenberg County Airport, authorities said.

The Greenville Police Department still had few leads Friday evening, but officers did not think the theft was terrorist-related.

The department did, however, contact the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI and other agencies as a precaution.

"We've talked to them," Detective Jonathan DeArmond said Friday. "They're following their procedures. ... We are going to follow all precautions to make sure all authorities locally, regionally and nationally are notified."

Most jet fuel is kerosene-based and burns at a high temperature, according to the Department of Energy. The airport was selling the fuel for $3.40 a gallon, making the truck's contents worth $6,800.

"The price of gas these days, who knows, someone could have mistaken it for regular gasoline," DeArmond said.

Police received a call that the white 1969 Ford F800 single-axle truck had been stolen at 9:58 a.m. But the airport, which is near the Kentucky 189 Bypass, is only staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so the truck may have been stolen Thursday evening, police said.

The truck was apparently driven through a 4-foot chain-link fence onto a gravel access road that runs along part of the airport property.

Danny Walker, chairman of the Muhlenberg County Airport Board, said the airport learned from an employee at a neighboring business Friday morning that the fence had been knocked down.

The airport soon discovered that the truck, which had been parked behind a hangar, was gone.

"More than likely, my assumption is that it's local and somebody wanted the fuel," Walker said. "They may have assumed that it was automobile gas, incorrectly."

Muhlenberg South High School was locked down for 20 minutes about 11 a.m. Friday after a caller reported seeing the truck parked at the school, Muhlenberg County Schools Superintendent Dale Todd said.

Some parents checked their children out of the school, he said.

Police found no sign that the truck had been there, DeArmond said.