HOUSTON -- A city of Houston worker has been fired after his arrest on charges of stealing gasoline from city gas pumps, Local 2 Investigates reported Tuesday.

E. L. Pleasant, 41, is due in court next week on a misdemeanor count of theft by a public servant.

The city's Solid Waste Management Department notified Office of Inspector General investigators when they noticed that Pleasant's side-loading trash truck started recording excessive fill-ups at the city maintenance yard at South Post Oak and Highway 90.

In his termination letter, his boss writes that Pleasant's trash truck had been getting 11.24 miles per gallon, but suddenly the fuel usage dropped that to 5.85 miles per gallon, prompting a police investigation to be launched.

Each city employee is required to enter his employee number and the vehicle mileage in order to activate city gas pumps.

HPD officers with the Office of Inspector General say they spotted Pleasant moving gas cans from his personal truck and loading them into his trash truck. Police say he then filled those cans and took them home to his garage. Police arrested him on the spot at his home in November.

In his termination letter, the Solid Waste director writes, "Immediately following his arrest, Mr. Pleasant voluntarily stated the gasoline in the portable containers was for a city tractor.  Mr. Pleasant further stated that he was only placing the containers in his personal garage temporarily, because gasoline was flying everywhere in the back of his truck."

"Further, it was determined that Mr. Pleasant had not been asked nor was he expected to provide gasoline for the city tractor as he claimed. In fact, the tractor uses diesel fuel and is filled on-site as needed by another employee," the department's leader wrote.

Pleasant filed an appeal in hopes of getting his job back. He was scheduled to appear before the city of Houston Civil Service Commission to present his evidence for reinstatement on Wednesday.

Pleasant's attorney, Wilburn Cameron, told Local 2 Investigates that his client has not admitted to anything. He said his only response to the accusations is, "not guilty at this point."

Pleasant has a lengthy criminal record that includes three other theft convictions. He served 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to stealing between $500 and $1,500 in 1996. He was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to a credit card rip-off in 1994. He was given deferred adjudication probation on another theft in 1988.

Pleasant also served five days in jail for drugs in 2002. He was sentenced to six years in prison for cocaine in 1991, and he violated his probation on an assault conviction from 1988.

The Houston Civil Service Commission can uphold his firing or order a less serious sanction, after it hears the employee's evidence and the city's case against him.