Palmer man facing charges after police chase

PALMER — A Palmer man is facing a host of charges after police said he stole a car from a gas station and led officers on a pursuit along the Old Glenn Highway Monday afternoon.

Jonah Rodrigues, 19, was charged with two counts of third-degree assault, vehicle theft, reckless driving and eluding after his arrest at a Palmer residence, Palmer Police Chief Lance Ketterling said Tuesday morning.

Kettering said police received a report of a car stolen from the Palmer Chevron Monday morning. The vehicle, a gray 2012 Toyota Corolla sedan, was later spotted in Palmer by its owner, who alerted police.

“We tried to pull the car over, but he headed out along the Old Glenn, where he turned around and came back toward town,” Ketterling said.

The chase back up the Old Glenn got the attention of a few state and borough officials around Mile 15, where they were surveying the ongoing Matanuska River erosion in the area.

The car was later found in an alley in downtown Palmer, and Rodrigues was located in a nearby residence on South Bailey Street, Ketterling said.

Rodrigues continued to evade officers inside the home, Ketterling said, but was soon taken into custody and booked into Mat-Su Pretrial.