Troopers arrested a 23-year-old Haines man last week on felony theft and misdemeanor trespassing charges after he allegedly stole an ATV from a gravel pit near 6.5 Mile Haines Highway.
According to court documents, trooper Andrew Neason saw the man driving a relatively expensive ATV along the road shoulder near 7 Mile Haines Highway.
“I am familiar with (the man), having dealt with him in numerous incidents since being posted to Haines. I have never seen (him) in possession of a working ATV, and based on his near-constant lack of employment, I found it very unlikely that he would be in legitimate possession of a relatively modern ATV,” Neason wrote in charging documents.
When Neason contacted the man and asked who the ATV belonged to, the man said he borrowed it and was planning on returning it. After further questioning, the man admitted he took the ATV without permission from a nearby gravel pit.
After putting the man in his patrol vehicle, Neason called the gravel quarry owner, who said he didn’t know the man and hadn’t given him permission to use the ATV.
Upon visiting the quarry, Neason found a large, open tool box on a work truck that appeared to have been rifled through. Though Neason was unable to determine at the time if anything had been stolen from the toolbox, he is following up with the truck owners.
The red 2007 Honda Foreman ATV has a list price of $7,350.
The man faces charges of second-degree theft and first-degree criminal trespass. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Oct. 28.