A Homer man allegedly made off with approximately $85,000 in frozen seafood from a Ninilchik business.
Alaska State Troopers arrested Garrett Fitzgerald, 53, on Friday in connection with a burglary at a Ninilchik-area fish processing business. Investigation showed that a man entered the business around 2:50 a.m. Wednesday and stole food, money and seafood from the commercial freezer in the business.
Information from the business owner and from further investigation connected the burglary to Fitzgerald, who was located and arrested Friday in Soldotna, according to an online trooper dispatch. Some of the stolen fish was located at the scene, and investigation is ongoing, according to the dispatch.
Approximately 3,000 pounds of seafood was stolen, said Alaska State Troopers spokesperson Megan Peters in an email. It was packaged in boxes that were carried out and placed in personally owned vehicles for transportation, she said.
“We believe at least one other person was involved,” she said.
Fitzgerald was charged with one count of theft in the first degree, a class B felony, and one count of burglary in the second degree, a class C felony. He was scheduled for arraignment Saturday morning in Kenai.
Reach Elizabeth Earl at eearl@peninsulaclarion.com.
