Press Release

Dillingham Man Convicted of Felony Vehicle Theft

October 12, 2016

(Anchorage, AK) – On October 11, 2016, a Dillingham jury found 23 year old Ronald Johansen guilty for stealing a pickup truck in Dillingham in October 2015. Assistant District Attorney Pamela Dale called 13 witnesses over three days of trial. The jury found Johansen guilty of vehicle theft in the first degree as well as driving with a revoked license.

On October 3, 2015, officers from the Dillingham Police Department responded to a vehicle which had rolled over near the Dillingham boat harbor. The Dillingham Police Department had received two 911 calls which reported that the vehicle was dangerously driving toward downtown and another that the vehicle had crashed. Officers responded and found a stolen Dodge pickup truck resting on its roof top with the lights on and the engine running. Officers were not able to identify the suspect initially.

In December 2015, Dillingham Police Officer Pedro Gonzalez followed up on a tip about the stolen vehicle and was able to identify three eyewitnesses to the crime. The Anchorage District Attorney’s Office wants to recognize the outstanding police work of Officer Gonzales and the entire Dillingham Police Department on this case. The vehicle was a total loss for the victim, who had only liability insurance.

Pro Tem Superior Court Judge Leslie Dickson presided over the trial and scheduled sentencing for January 9, 2017 in Dillingham. Johansen faces a sentence of up to five years in prison with a presumptive sentence of one to three years in prison. Johansen has 15 prior criminal convictions, including a felony conviction for tampering with a witness in the first degree, five prior assault convictions, and two prior convictions for driving under the influence. Johansen is being held in the custody of the Department of Corrections with bail set at $5000 cash and a court approved third party custodian.

CONTACT: District Attorney Clint Campion at (907) 269-6300 or clinton.campion@alaska.gov.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.