More crimes follow suspended sentence

October 3, 2006

By MARY AMES/Frontiersman

PALMER -A man arrested in March for theft at the Wasilla Fred Meyer, who was handed a suspended sentence due to his youth Sept. 25, was back in jail Sept. 28.

Matthew Wodkowski, 20, was charged with second-degree theft and fourth-degree assault on March 13. Loss prevention officers struggled with Wodkowski after they caught him pushing a cart full of clothing, jewelry, shoes and other loot out of the store without paying for it. Wasilla police arrested Wodkowski and three accomplices, including Devon Donn, Michelle Lund and Shyana Mulholland, according to a police report.

Wodkowski was scheduled for sentencing early in the morning of Sept. 25, but didn't show up. Superior Court Judge Eric Smith told Laurel Bennett, Wodkowski's appointed attorney, her client needed to be in court by 11:30 a.m. or he would put out a warrant.

When Wodkowski did show up, Smith questioned why the state agreed to sentence Wodkowski to time served plus a suspended imposition of a two-year sentence, since the defendant hadn't spoken with his probation officer at all.

Roman Kalytiak, district attorney, said the state agreed because the defendant was so young.

&#8220We realize a lot of people aren't going to make it,” Kalytiak said. &#8220He admitted the offense. He admitted he had a strong cocaine habit. The focus needs to be supervision and substance-abuse treatment. His success depends on how serious he is.”

Wodkowski understood now that he needed to not associate with Donn and Lund, Bennett said.

On July 20, 2003, Wodkowski was charged with second-degree burglary, and he pleaded the charge down to first-degree criminal trespass on Dec. 18, 2003, according to his disclosable juvenile records.

Wodkowski was charged with second-degree theft in Anchorage in October 2004, and pleaded no contest to third-degree theft in February 2005, according to court records. Records also show Wodkowski was arrested for driving with no valid operator's license in Palmer in 2004, twice in 2005 and also charged with reckless driving in 2005. Wodkowski was charged with fourth-degree assault in Palmer on Dec. 25, 2005, and pleaded no contest to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct in June. But records show he disputed owing restitution to the victim police say he punched several times with a chain wrapped around his fist.

In May, Wodkowski was charged with driving under the influence, driving without a valid license, minor consuming alcohol, minor operating a vehicle after consuming alcohol and violating the conditions of a release for a felony, records show. In June, Wodkowski pleaded no contest to DUI in Palmer District Court, and the other charges were dismissed.

Judge Smith said he would accept the agreement in Wodkowski's case &#8220with reluctance.”

&#8220Mr. Wodkowski, keep in mind the present you are getting in a way,” he said.

Wodkowski was arraigned again before Judge Smith on Sept. 28 and is scheduled for his next hearing in Palmer Superior Court on Oct. 20.

Contact Mary Ames at 352-2284 or mary.ames@frontiersman.com.