Reward increased to $25,000

A Porthill gas station has raised its reward from $10,000 to $25,000 in hopes of learning who did thousands of dollars of vandalism to a fuel tank early Wednesday, July 9.

“That’s huge,” said owner Ken Tompke. “You can’t buy someone’s honesty from money, but I think it is making a statement to the community that it was not a random act.”

Main Street Gas had around 1,000 gallons of gasoline ruined after someone apparently pumped water through the air vent of the tank.

Tompke had to pump out and replace all the fuel, and pay for damages to vehicles filled with the watered-down fuel.

One tank of gas was destroyed by the water while a second was not damaged, proving it was vandalism.

“We now have had three-plus months for the truth to come out,” he said. “Over the course of that time it has became increasingly clear who the perpetrators of the crime were. And furthermore, what people in the Porthill community are aware of who did it.”

The investigation is being handled by Boundary County Sheriff’s Office. No one returned a phone call to The Herald.

“You have to ask the question, is it fear, intimidation or just not wanting to get involved with someone else’s messy business that is keeping people quiet,” said Tompke.