Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station detectives believe evidence left behind from a clumsy getaway will help with an arrest for their investigation into a card-skimming operation at a Castaic gas station.   The co-owner of the oft-used Chevron gas station in the 31500 block of Ridge Route Road, which is at the intersection of Castaic Road next to Interstate 5, first reported the theft on Feb. 20, according to the detective’s report.  The co-owners of the fuel stop discovered pump No. 12 “was compromised,” meaning the pump’s computer had been bypassed, which was not reading the fuel as it was being dispensed, according to a court record from SCV Sheriff’s Station officials.  The victim contacted the station to report he recognized the truck on the pump in question because it had been at the location previously during the week when other thefts had occurred, according to the deputies’ report.  After a follow-up interview with the station’s co-owner, detectives reported the total estimated loss from the week at nearly $8,000.  The station co-owner confronted the driver, who “quickly fled the location in the truck,” according to an affidavit from the investigator.  “Shortly thereafter, the suspect was involved in a traffic collision a short distance away,” according to the detective’s report, which also mentioned a good Samaritan who witnessed the collision and reported seeing the suspect “concealing a box in nearby bushes.”  A detective who was one of the responding deputies to the crash recovered the box, which led to the search warrant requested in May.  Court records obtained by The Signal listed the inventory from the detectives’ search warrant that was filed in court recently.  ”The (responding deputy) recovered the box and saw it contained (2) laptop computers, (3) skimming devices … an SD memory card attached and a Spanish handwritten diagram, which possibly depicts skimmer-installation instructions,” according to the detective’s evidence log.  He also recovered two cellphones, which also were targeted by the warrant.   “Your affiant believes the information in the above phones, including address book, contact information, stored text messages, outgoing/incoming phone calls, photographs, emails, social media accounts (history) will provide vital evidence in the suspect’s actions at the time of the above crime,” according to the sworn statement in court records. “Additionally, your affiant believes information from the phone will provide evidence in the preplanning and post actions by the suspect, contacts with potential coconspirators and location at the time of the crime.”  It’s unknown at this time if customers’ accounts were impacted by the thefts.   SCV Sheriff’s Station officials were not immediately available Friday to answer questions about the investigation, the scope of the thefts or whether an arrest had been made.   Anyone with information about this incident can contact the SCV Sheriff’s Station at 661-260-4000. Anyone who would like to provide information anonymously can call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing 800-222-TIPS (8477), use a smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website lacrimestoppers.org.  The post Crash leads to break in Castaic fuel-skimming investigation  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.