Man Throws Away Woman's Needles, Slashes Her Tires, Then Returns to Pour Sugar in Woman's Gas Tank

One More Heroin User Succumbs to an Urban Legend


If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

A Massachusetts man got off for slashing a woman's tires, then returned 20 minutes later and was arrested for pouring sugar into her gas tank.

James Hoover got off the hook for slashing a woman's tire because the victim declined to press charges, according to a report by Officer Francis Bradley.

The officer told Hoover, 36, of 200 Parker St., Unit 11, he was lucky, and Hoover replied, "Yeah, that was dumb and I shouldn't have done it," the report said.

Hoover and the woman had argued at 200 Parker St., and police were called at 8:13 p.m. Monday. The officer escorted Hoover away from the scene, however, the victim called police 22 minutes later to say Hoover was back and he did more damage. The victim told police that after they left, Hoover returned and poured sugar into her car's gas tank. Police saw what looked like sugar caked around the gas reservoir, along with a flat tire, the report said.

Bradley arrested Hoover, and Hoover told the officer he and the victim are heroin users and the argument stemmed from him throwing away her needles, and that he wanted to get clean, the report said.

Poor Hoover can't catch a break.

First, his needles. Then, he's jailed. Finally, the effects of sugar in the gas tank are mostly rumors and hear-say.

Another heroin user succumbs to an urban legend.

Putting sugar or water in the gas tank of a vehicle can indeed cause the engine to stall -- sugar because the granules won't dissolve in gasoline and may clog the fuel filter; water because it interrupts combustion -- but neither method will produce a predictably-timed engine failure. Depending on the quantity of the foreign substance introduced, it might take minutes, hours, or even days for the stall to occur, if it occurs at all.

Hoover copped an attitude when he got to the police station, calling the officers "a joke". The police delivered their punchline by charging him with willful and malicious injury to personal property.

Hoover later calmed down and apologized.

If the perp had pour straight H20 into the woman's gas tank, he'd have accomplished the same thing as pouring the sugar--and there would have been no residue around the gas tank opening.

But Hoover seems the persistent sort.

Maybe next time.

by Mondoreb
images:
* craphound
* personal
Source:
* Man charged with pouring sugar into woman's gas tank
* urban legends



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