TEXARKANA, Texas–A North Richland Hills, Texas, man is facing multiple felony charges in Bowie County for allegedly stealing gallons of red-dyed diesel from a construction site in Texarkana last year.
Edward Kamprath, 38, has been charged with four felony counts of violating motor fuel tax requirements and a felony count of unlawful use of a criminal instrument for allegedly stealing diesel in June 2023 from a hospital construction worksite at 2300 University Avenue in Texarkana, Texas.
Red dyed diesel, like the type stolen from the construction project, can only be used in equipment operating on construction sites and is not permitted for use in commercial or personal vehicles that travel roadways, according to a probable cause affidavit prepared by an investigator with the Texas Comptroller’s Criminal Investigation Division.
A detective with the Texarkana Texas Police Department contacted the Texas Comptroller’s Office in September about an alleged theft of diesel fuel that had occurred in June 2023, according to the affidavit. Local police had charged Kamprath with misdemeanor theft of property but only the Texas Comptroller can determine if there should be other criminal charges, such as those involving a failure to pay taxes, not having a proper license to transport large quantities of fuel, or using an illegal pumping system affixed to a pickup bed.
Kamprath pleaded guilty in April to theft of property and served 180 days in the Bowie County jail, court records show.
In September, the comptroller’s investigator reviewed the evidence TTPD had collected and video of one alleged incidence of Kamprath stealing fuel during the daytime while workers on the job site attempted unsuccessfully to stop him.
Kamprath pulled onto the active job site at about 2 p.m. June 13, 2023, according to the comptroller’s affidavit. He was driving a brown 2500 Dodge Ram truck which he pulled up next to the site’s fuel cell.
A construction worker observed Kamprath open the truck’s hood and attach battery connectors from the truck’s engine to an electric fuel pump with a hose that extended into the bed of the pickup and into an auxiliary storage fuel cell. Once Kamprath realized the construction crew was on to him, he jumped into his truck and accelerated, damaging building materials as he attempted to flee.
A worker tried to stop the fuel theft that day by using a forklift to pin and trap the truck, but was unsuccessful. Kamprath managed to evade the construction workers and haul off about 60 gallons of red-dyed diesel that day. A review of video surveillance revealed that Kamprath had been recorded circling the job site repeatedly in the week ahead of the brazen daytime theft.
“Due to the increased cost of fuel, there have been a large amount of fuel thefts occurring in Texarkana and across Texas recently,” the affidavit said. “The suspect in this case conducted such activity for financial gain and defrauded the State of Texas.”
Fuel thefts such as the one Kamprath has already pleaded guilty to, deprive the state of tax dollars – such as those paid for diesel or gasoline at a community gas station – and means there is less funding for maintaining, improving and upgrading the state’s roadway infrastructure.
Kamprath’s conduct also poses a risk to the public, the affidavit said.
“Vehicles used to transport and dispense such illegally appropriated fuel are typically unregulated and can pose danger to the community and environment,” the affidavit said.
Kamprath faces two to ten years in prison for each of the four counts of violating motor fuel tax requirements. For a single count of unlawful use of a criminal instrument, Kamprath faces an additional two to ten-year term. He also faces potential fines on each count and could be subject to a restitution order for the damaged building materials.
A review of criminal databases in the Lone Star State reveals that in the past year, Kamprath has been arrested for theft or evading arrest in numerous jurisdictions.
