‘Never steal more than you can get away with‘ should have occurred to a would-be thief who was taken into custody early Wednesday morning at a Newhall construction area for the State Route 14 expansion.

Deputies were called to the area of The Old Road and Sierra Highway after a caller stated that a man had entered a fenced construction area with a truck pulling a box trailer and was stealing large quantities of scrap steel from the job site.

The caller added that the alleged thief had attempted to drive away with the steel and got his truck stuck in the dirt due to the weight of the steel. The man then attempted to unload some of the steel in an effort to free his truck.

He was successful for a moment, but then the truck got stuck a second time. The man had nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. When deputies arrived at the scene, 46-year old Chris Fuller of San Pedro was desperately trying to unhitch the trailer in an attempt to get away.

The deputies quickly arrested Fuller on suspicion of felony grand theft. He was booked at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station where he is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail, waiting for his court appearance.

Deputies estimate that the steel the suspect was in the process of stealing had a recyclable value of $500 and weighed approximately 1,000 pounds. The suspect’s truck and trailer were impounded.