Chase ends when stolen car runs out of gas

WASILLA — A man who led four police agencies on a chase that stretched from Wasilla to Palmer and on to Peters Creek was apprehended after the vehicle he was driving ran out of gas.

Wasilla Police Chief Gene Belden said Kevin Ashton, 28, was taken into custody by the Anchorage Police Department after the vehicle he was driving Saturday evening ran out of gas near Peters Creek on the Glenn Highway.

Belden said the incident began when Ashton was reported as a dangerous driver. He said Wasilla police officers attempted to contact Ashton when he turned in to the Wal-Mart parking lot, but he sped away.

Perhaps he fled because he was driving without a valid license, was wanted on warrants out of Anchorage, or possibly it was because the vehicle Ashton was driving was allegedly stolen.

Either way, Ashton fled up Seward Meridian Parkway and wound around to Wasilla Fishhook, followed it to Palmer Fishhook, and continued on until that road wraps back around to the Glenn Highway.

Belden said law enforcement made the decision not to pursue Ashton through traffic on the Glenn and officers broke off pursuit.

Sometimes officers deploy spike strips to shred the tires on vehicles when drivers flee, but this time the solution was decidedly low-tech.

“We just followed behind him until he ran out of gas,” Belden said.

He said Alaska State Troopers and Palmer police also were involved in the chase.

CourtView shows Ashton was arrested on a pair of felonies — failure to stop at the direction of a police officer and vehicle theft — and two misdemeanor charges for driving without a license and reckless driving.

Belden said Ashton also was wanted on warrants out of Anchorage.

His bail was set at $5,000 and he will need a court-approved guardian to watch over him before he can be released.

Contact Heather A. Resz at 352-2268

or heather.resz@frontiersman.com.