Bellingham gas station employee arrested for allegedly stealing thousands from business
A Bellingham man was arrested Friday, Feb. 14, after he allegedly embezzled nearly $18,000 from a Bellingham gas station.
Zachariah Alan Hill, 45, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree theft. Hill was charged Feb. 19 in Whatcom County Superior Court with one count of first-degree theft, according to Whatcom County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Richardson.
Hill pleaded not guilty Friday and his jury trial was tentatively set for May 4, Richardson said.
Whatcom County Jail records show Hill was released on Feb. 16 on $5,000 bond.
On Feb. 13, Bellingham police spoke to the owner of the Mobil gas station in the 300 block of Lakeway Drive. The owners reported their employee, who was identified as Hill, was processing cash transactions from customers, but then immediately voiding the transaction for a far lower value and pocketing the difference, according to Bellingham Police Lt. Claudia Murphy.
Murphy said the fraudulent transactions were ongoing for several months, and that Hill embezzled $17,963.98 from the business.
Hill was arrested at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the Mobil gas station and was booked into jail, Murphy said.
