An APD K-9  took down a fleeing car thief on DeBarr Road on Monday according to the APD Nixle Report.

Police were alerted to a stolen car with an occupant inside at the Walmart located on Debarr Road at 7:44 pm. Responding officers boxed in the suspect vehicle, a 2010 Chevy Malibu, as it was approaching the traffic light on Debarr Road and Boniface Parkway.

One of the responding patrol cars was a K-9 Unit. The driver, later identified as 23-year-old Roland H. Grace, was ordered to give himself up. Grace ignored the officer’s commands however, and after getting out of the vehicle, he chose to not give himself up, and instead flee from the encounter.

Grace ran through the traffic on Debarr Road and made it to the opposite side of the intersection, APD reported. But, that was as far as Grace would make it. THe APD K-9 was released, and chased Grace through the intersection, and “made contact with Roland’s waist,” police said.

Grace was immediately taken into custody. Medics at the scene examined Grace at the scene for injuries resulting from the canine contact. But, the medical evaluation by the medics determined that the multiple layers of clothing that Grace was wearing, prevented the K-9’s teeth from penetrating his skin.

The suspect was arrested on charges of Vehicle Theft I and Resisting Arrest.

It was also found that Grace was the subject of two outstanding warrants, the first for an April 2015 Fairbanks Burglary II case in the amount of $20,000. [xyz-ihs snippet=”adsense-body-ad”]Grace was arrested that month after a Fairbanks crime spree at the Co-op Plaza. Grace first targeted the Crepery, a restaurant in the plaza, taking $400 from the register. Then, the Church of Christ, located nearby, was broken into and $30 worth of change was be stolen. The third day, the restaurant was hit again and $5 of change was stolen from the register. That same day, the Second Street gallery, across from the eatery was hit and $1,000 in jewelry was stolen.

Footprints made by a pair “Crocs” at two of the scenes would be retrieved. The burglary was also caught on CCTV, and the footage, showing Grace wearing a pair of the popular footwear was collected as evidence. Multiple tipsters would also alert police to the thief’s identity.

When questioned, Grace would be found to be wearing the same brand of footwear as seen on the video, and his shoes also matched the footprints collected at the crime scenes. When arrested, two necklaces stolen from the jewelry store were recovered.

Six months later, Grace successfully plea bargained and pled to one count of Burglary II and a second charge of Burglary was dropped as was two counts of Theft and one of  Criminal Mischief.

Court records show as that court case made its way through the courts, Grace walked away from the North Star Center, a Fairbanks half-way house. He pled guilty to Escape on the same day as he pled out to the Burglary charge.

The double $20,000 warrants were issued when the court was petitioned to revoke his probation on the two cases in May 2016 and July 2016.

Grace’s bail is set at $10,000 and a Court-Approved Third Party Custodian.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

  Anchorage, boniface, burglary, debarr, escape, k-9, k9, roland grace, theft, warrants