A Nikiski man is facing a set of felony and misdemeanor charges relating to an incident in which he is accused of stealing a car, crashing into another car, concealing a handgun and possessing methamphetamines.
A grand jury indicted Job Taylor, 19, on 11 charges in Kenai Superior Court on Tuesday, according to court documents.
The charges stem from an incident dating back to Oct. 13. Alaska State Troopers arrested Taylor in connection with a car accident after they found him walking down the Seward Highway near mile 39, between Moose Pass and the junction of the Seward and Sterling highways.
The court documents allege Taylor trespassed on private property in Anchorage and stole a white 2001 Honda CR-V before driving it south along the Seward Highway until crashing into a gray General Motors pickup truck with two passengers near mile 42 of the Seward Highway. The two passengers in the pickup truck were injured in the crash, and Taylor allegedly then left the scene in the CR-V before abandoning it about a mile down the road, according to the original trooper dispatch. Troopers responding to the crash found him walking near mile 39.
“(Taylor) had a handgun on his person and failed to inform the trooper,” the dispatch states. “Taylor was detained while the investigation continued. Further investigation revealed the theft of the stolen vehicle was caught on video and Taylor was seen on the video.”
While being booked at the Seward City Jail, investigators found that Taylor had methamphetamines on him, according to the trooper dispatch.
The charges include one count of motor vehicle theft in the first degree, a class C felony; one count of criminal trespass in the first degree, a class A misdemeanor; one count of reckless driving, an unclassified felony; two counts of assault in the third degree, a class C felony; one count of leaving the scene of an accident in which damage occurred, an unclassified misdemeanor; one count of leaving the scene of an accident without helping the injured, a class C felony; one count of failure to give immediate notice of an accident, an unclassified misdemeanor; one count of misconduct involving weapons in the fifth degree, a class B misdemeanor; one count of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the fourth degree, a class A misdemeanor; and one count of promoting contraband in the first degree, a class C felony.
Originally in Seward, the case was moved to Superior Court in Kenai. Taylor is scheduled to be arraigned before Superior Court Judge Charles Huguelet on Tuesday, according to Courtview.
Reach Elizabeth Earl at elizabeth.earl@peninsulaclarion.com.
