Thieves stole hundreds of gallons of used cooking oil at Chick-fil-A, Georgia cops say
.jpg "A Chick-fil-A in Athens, Georgia, reported its used cooking oil was stolen, police say. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)")
At a Georgia Chick-fil-A, a pair of thieves weren’t interested in running off with chicken sandwiches or waffle fries. Instead, they stole hundreds of gallons of used cooking oil, police say.
The manager for a Chick-fil-A on Atlanta Highway in Athens reported the restaurant’s used cooking oil was stolen on the morning of Oct. 5, according to an Athens-Clarke County Police Department case report obtained by McClatchy News. The theft occurred between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., the report says.
That morning, two men arrived at the Chick-fil-A in a U-Haul truck, the manager said in the report, and “stopped near their dumpster.” The restaurant’s used frying oil was located nearby because it is recycled.
The pair snapped the lock and chain used to secure the oil, then began draining between 200 and 300 gallons of the liquid, the manager told police in the report.
The early-morning theft wasn’t the first time oil from that Chick-fil-A was stolen. The manager told police it’s happened four times on “a monthly basis,” the report says.
The total amount of used cooking oil drained from the store was between 700 and 800 gallons, the manager told police, valued at around $2000.
The thieves also destroyed two sets of heavy-duty locks and chains, including the set from Oct. 5, which were around $70 each, according to the report. The offenses listed on the report included theft and criminal trespassing causing damage to property.
Athens-Clarke detectives are investigating the case, a department spokesperson told McClatchy News in an Oct. 17 email. No suspects have yet been identified.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Thieves stole hundreds of gallons of used cooking oil at Chick-fil-A, Georgia cops say."
