Assault, theft lead to arrest

WASILLA — A Wasilla man played a role in an assault and chopped a stolen Toyota into about 100 pieces, authorities said.

Jason Lynn Campbell, 36, of Wasilla faces charges of second-degree theft, third-degree criminal mischief, tampering with physical evidence and fourth-degree assault, court documents show.

Alaska state troopers received a tip Jan. 8 that a stolen Toyota 4Runner SUV was outside a residence along Rue De La Paix Loop in Wasilla. When troopers from the Palmer Post responded to the tip, they found the vehicle, or at least part of it, according to an affidavit written by Sgt. Tony Wegrzyn.

“Upon arrival I noticed several pieces of a vehicle sitting in plain view of the driveway, including an engine, two axels, two doors, and miscellaneous body parts that matched a Toyota 4Runner,” he wrote. “Most of the frame and most of the cab of the vehicle was missing.”

When troopers checked record on the vehicle, they discovered it had been reported stolen out of Anchorage in November, Wegrzyn wrote. After checking inside a nearby garage, he spotted a blower motor, the vehicle’s computer, and other parts. In all, the SUV had been cut into more than 100 pieces, according to Wegrzyn.

Residents told them Campbell had been working on the vehicle in the garage for several weeks, according to the affidavit.

While troopers were investigating, they spotted a car, which residents identified as Campbell’s, driving by the house, according to the affidavit. Troopers stopped the car about two miles down the road and arrested Campbell, and he agreed to talk about the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

“He stated someone brought it to him and asked him to dismantle it so they could sell it for parts,” Wegrzyn wrote. “Campbell could only provide a first name ‘Will’ for his partner, and said he wasn’t sure where Will got the vehicle.

“Campbell admitted that he heard ‘chatter’ that it was on the ‘vehicle hot sheet’ but said he never checked for himself,” the affidavit continues.

When troopers checked Craigslist, they found multiple ads for used parts with a phone number traced to Campbell listed as the point of contact, according to the affidavit.

While investigating the SUV, a resident told troopers that about 4:30 that morning, an unidentified woman had knocked on the front door, and sprayed the resident in the face with pepper spray, according to the affidavit.

“Shortly thereafter, she was knocked to the ground and she heard Campbell’s voice say ‘are you scared of me now? As someone was using a Taser on her,” Wegrzyn wrote.

The assault victim said she recognized Campbell’s voice and the reference to an earlier conversation where she told Campbell she wasn’t scared of him, according to the affidavit. The victim told troopers she could not identify the woman who sprayed her, Wegrzyn wrote.

Troopers transported Campbell to the Mat-Su Pretrial detention center where he was held on a temporary $2,500 bond pending arraignment in the district court.

The 4Runner was valued at about $24,000, troopers said.

Contact Brian O’Connor at 352-2269 or brian.oconnor@frontiersman.com.