A Hawaii man working at a local fish-processing plant was arrested last week for allegedly stealing a van from a Kalifornsky Beach address and withdrawing cash from an ATM using debit cards left inside.
Alexander Yadao, 23, was allegedly seen on surveillance video July 2 leaving a van reported stolen earlier that day in the parking lot of a Kenai Holiday gas station, according to an Alaska State Trooper affidavit filed with the court.
The van was undamaged, and had the owner’s purse — which had been emptied — inside, according to the affidavit.
A Walmart security video also taken early in the morning July 2 showed a man matching Yadao’s appearance withdrawing cash from an ATM at Walmart, according to troopers.
The owner of the van reported that $300 and $40 had been withdrawn from a Walmart ATM that morning, troopers reported.
Yadao, who was interviewed after a Walmart loss prevention officer saw him at Safeway several days later, told troopers he had been picked up by a group of people while hitching and walked to Walmart to withdraw cash from his own bank account, according to the affidavit.
He denied stealing items from the van or withdrawing money using stolen cars, but said was probably high on methamphetamine and Oxycodone at the time, according to the affidavit. Troopers who reviewed security footage from the Holiday gas station reported that Yadao left the van from the driver’s side door and that no other people were visible in the vehicle.
Yadao was charged with first-degree vehicle theft, a class C felony; four counts of second-degree theft, a class C felony; and two counts of fraudulent use of a stolen access device, a class A misdemeanor. He was arraigned in Kenai court July 10.
