A Kenai man was arrested Wednesday after police say he stole a truck and camper and injured the owner while fleeing a Kenai gas station.
Jacob Barrett, 29, is charged with first-degree vehicle theft, first-degree theft, first-degree robbery, third-degree assault, first-degree criminal trespass, and second-degree criminal trespass.
According to an affidavit by an officer from Kenai Police Department, included in charging documents, police were called shortly after 11 a.m. on Wednesday by a man who said that his 2024 Chevrolet Silverado and a 2020 Coachmen camper were stolen from a gas station on the Kenai Spur Highway. He had been dumping sewage from the camper and left the keys in the vehicle ignition.
Barrett, the man said, entered the vehicle and began to drive away. The man held onto the locked door and tried to break a window. He fell onto the asphalt as Barrett sped away — sustaining multiple injuries, according to the affidavit.
Officers reported that they found Barrett driving the vehicle on Airport Way, between the Kenai Spur Highway and Kenai Municipal Airport. The affidavit says that Barrett told officers that he wanted to live in the camper. Police said he was found with controlled substances in his pocket.
The vehicle sustained minor damage and was reclaimed by its owner.
Barrett was taken to Wildwood Pretrial Facility, arraigned on Sunday and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 13.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
