Police: Cab driver filed false report

A Clovis cab driver has been arrested for using a fuel card he said was stolen from him last week in an armed robbery, according to police reports.

He is also charged with lying to police about the theft of the card, the report said.

Scott Roberts, 30, told police around midnight April 16 he was flagged down in the area of Second and Sycamore streets by a pedestrian and robbed him at gunpoint. He said the suspect got away with a deposit bag containing cash and a prepaid fuel card.

Roberts admitted to using the gas card but maintains he was robbed.

“I was robbed for sure,” Roberts said. “I feel like I’m getting robbed (again) — things got turned around.”

He was charged Friday with filing a false police report, embezzlement and two felony counts of unauthorized withdrawals from a bank account.

He was released on an $11,500 bond the same day, jail officials said.

Clovis Police Detective Charlie Aguirre said the robbery portion of the incident is still being investigated.

Roberts said he thought the prepaid fuel card was in a deposit bag taken by the robber but later found it in the ashtray of the vehicle.

Thinking the card had already been written off in the robbery, Roberts said he kept it and used it, a decision he said he regrets.

“I feel kind of stupid. I found the card,” Roberts said. “It was stupid on my part. (But) I reported it stolen because I thought it was stolen.”

The day after the robbery, the owner of the taxi company sent someone to the store where the gas card was purchased to see if it had been used, the report said.

The man told police a clerk told him the card was being used at that moment and pointed out a vehicle at the fuel pumps, the report said.
The man reported he saw Roberts in the passenger seat, the report said.

Gilbert Little, owner of G & C Taxi service, said Roberts was terminated because of the incident.