Man who fled troopers in RV faces more charges

PALMER — A man who fled from Alaska State Troopers in a motor home when officers arrived last month to serve a $100,000 felony warrant for 37 counts out of Anchorage, now faces 17 additional counts in Palmer court.

Eligah B. Christian, 49, formerly of Wasilla — the ‘B’ stands for either Brokenspirit or Broken Arrow, Alaska court documents vary — faces a total of 54 counts between the two jurisdictions.

The Palmer charges, filed May 22 are:

• two counts of scheme to defraud;

• one count of first-degree theft;

• 14 counts of writing bad checks;

In the Anchorage court, Christian is charged with:

• one count of scheme to defraud;

• 21 counts of writing bad checks;

• 14 counts of second-degree theft; and

• one count of first-degree theft.

In all, Christian wrote $31,389.27 in bad checks on a Denali Alaskan Federal Credit Union account, according to the grand jury indictment. About two thirds — $20,127.35 — were made out to an array of local businesses, including Image Audio, Valley Fuel, Town and Country Home Furnishings, Crowley Fuel, Giant Don’s Flooring, and Spenard Builders Supply. Christian wrote the remaining $11,261.35 in checks to himself, according to the indictment.

The first-degree theft charge is estimated at more than $25,000, conceivably putting the total dollar value of Christian’s alleged crimes at more than $56,000, according to the indictment.

An affidavit with a narrative explaining the most recent counts was not available at the court Tuesday, when court officials arraigned Christian on the additional counts.

Christian remained in Mat-Su Pretrial Facility in Palmer on a $10,000 cash or corporate bond with court-appointed third-party custodial requirements.

During a chase April 24 involving Alaska State Troopers and Wasilla Police, Christian apparently rammed a Wasilla Police Department patrol vehicle, authorities said. National and international news outlets rebroadcast cellphone video and photographs of the chase posted on social media sites.

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