Five years after near-death experience, Silverton man faces similar charge

Five years ago, Shawn LaFollette set himself ablaze and suffered serious burns while trying to steal hundreds of gallons of fuel from a Philomath gas station. He ended up taking an ambulance trip to a Portland hospital.

Shortly after 2:30 a.m. on Monday, LaFollette again was arrested by Salem police, allegedly for trying the same type of crime.

"It's just unbelievable," said Philomath Police Chief Ken Elwer. "He certainly didn't learn from the near-death experience."

"This is dangerous activity," said Lt. Steve Birr of Salem Police Department. "They don't call it hazardous material for nothing."

Birr said similar crimes had been rare until the past few weeks, when there had been about five instances of large fuel thefts around Marion County. Police will be looking hard at LaFollette regarding those cases.

For his latest brush with the law, LaFollette, 37, of Silverton, is faces charges of first-degree theft, second-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal trespass. He was booked into the Marion County Correctional Facility and released the same day. Birr gave this account of events leading up to LaFollette's second arrest:

On Monday morning, a security guard observed a man pumping diesel out of an underground storage tank at the Pacific Pride Station, 205 Columbia St. N.E. in Salem. The man had parked a goose-necked trailer over the tank. When contacted by the security officer, he told the guard that he was there to pressure-wash the lot. The security guard, who noticed a hose going to the tank, called police.

LaFollette's truck and trailer, which had the capability of storing more than 1,000 gallons of fuel, were seized as evidence.

Police said LaFollette still is bound by the legal consequences of his Nov. 29, 2003, theft attempt. He still owes $20,975 in restitution and fines regarding the Philomath case, where he was convicted of reckless burning, second-degree mischief and second-degree theft.

"Those are all misdemeanors. At the time, the price of fuel wasn't enough to make it a felony," Elwer said.

The restitution of $21,125 was to be made to Carson Oil for loss of fuel and damage to its structures and equipment on South Seventh Street.

The city was preparing to send LaFollette a court notice for being delinquent on his payments, and a judge was reviewing his file to determine whether to extend his probation. He was still subject to oversight by the Philomath Municipal Court because of the issue with restitution.

To see the 2003 story about Shawn LaFollette, see Kyle Odegard's blog at http://www.gazettetimes.com/gtblogs/kyle_odegard/