Zeffrey Tyler Doolittle, 17, Mapleton, suffered what were described as minor wounds Friday night from shotgun pellets while allegedly attempting to steal gasoline from a tank on the farm of Roger Welch.
Undersheriff Bryan Murphy said Welch was on the lookout for thieves on property he owns five miles northeast of Bronson, because of previous thefts.
Eventually a pickup pulled up. The driver got out, scaled a fence and walked about 30 yards to a large fuel tank. He removed the hose and tried to fill a five-gallon can he was carrying.
Doolittle, “got only the gasoline that was in the hose,” Murphy said. Welch had earlier emptied the tank.
Welch fired a warning shot in the air from his 12-gauge shotgun. When Doolittle started to flee, Murphy said Welch shot him in the back.
Doolittle kept running, leaving his truck behind. About 20 minutes later Allen County officers found the youth walking along a road about two miles away.
When officers learned of Doolittle’s wounds, they summoned an ambulance. He was taken to Allen County Hospital where medical personnel said the wounds were minor, although they were unable to remove the pellets.
No arrests were made. Information about the case has been forwarded to Allen County Attorney Wade Bowie, who will decide whether any charges will be filed.
Calls to Bowie’s office were not returned by press time.
