POST FALLS - Even alleged criminals are creatures of habit.

A 38-year-old Spokane Valley man who allegedly stole gas from commuter vans parked at the Post Falls City Hall parking lot three previous times was arrested Tuesday night after being accused of the same crime.

Ryan P. Hoffman was arrested for petit theft, providing a false identity, possession of stolen property, driving while suspended and on a felony warrant for probation violation.

"We have him on video from the three previous times," Post Falls Police Capt. Greg McLean said. "Detectives were staked out and waiting for him to show up."

Detectives noticed a pattern with the previous thefts, according to the police report. All the crimes occurred on Tuesday nights between the hours of 7:18 p.m. and 9:51 p.m. The suspect in a Chevy Ventura van pulled alongside the Spokane Transit Authority vans and siphoned gas in all three cases.

On Tuesday around 10:10 p.m., the suspect in the same van returned. After Hoffman allegedly finished siphoning the first van, he moved to the second one and police approached him.

Eight five-gallon gas cans and three hoses were found inside the van.

Hoffman allegedly gave officers a false name when he was arrested. When an officer retrieved a wallet from the van, they recognized that Hoffman wasn't who he said he was and that the wallet had been stolen, the police report states.

The owner of the wallet told police that the suspect used his credit cards to purchase items.

Hoffman then allegedly gave police a second false name and declined to release his real name when police continued to probe about the matter, the report states.

Hoffman was finally identified by jail staff via his tattoos.

Police said a Walmart video shows a man who appears to be Hoffman making purchases with a false credit card.

Hoffman told police that he stole gas for his van so he could get back and forth to work and that he wasn't involved in any other gas thefts. He has been booked in the local jail 30 times as an adult.