Alaska State Troopers received a report of a stolen camper from a parking area on K-Beach Road in Soldotna. The next day, a tip was received that the camper was parked on a lot in a residential area in Kenai.
Troopers worked with the Kenai Police Department on-scene. They confirmed that the camper was, in fact, the stolen camper. They contacted Casey Johnson, age 38 of Kenai, who was occupying the camper.
Chief Dave Ross of the Kenai Police Department had no comment about this specific case, but offered tips to folks in campers or RVs as to keep their property safe: “Folks that are traveling here in campers and such, it’s certainly very safe. I would use normal precautions: lock up your stuff, don’t make it an easy target. I would say it’s very safe. Usually, theft is a target of opportunity – something’s that’s easy. That’s the defense: lock up your stuff, have lights, and check on your stuff.”
Johnson was arrested, transported, and remanded to Wildwood Pre-Trial on charges of first-degree theft and violating conditions of release.