On Wednesday evening the owner of a Dodge Caravan in Wasilla called 911 to report that his vehicle had been stolen. Troopers opened an investigation into the theft that resulted in the vehicle being recovered early Thursday morning, troopers said.

The owner of the Dodge said that he met with a man at the owner’s home on Elsinore Street in Wasilla to negotiate the sale of his Caravan. But, instead of completing the transaction and purchasing the vehicle, the suspect stole it.

The suspect, 30-year-old Donald L Caulkins, was spotted driving the stolen vehicle at 10:30 pm on Mystery Avenue. The trooper attempted a traffic stop but Caulkins refused to yield. A short time later Caulkins bailed from the vehicle and fled into the woods on foot.

Wasilla Police responded with K9 Echo and assisted in the search. Echo successfully located Caulkins and he was taken into custody. When caught, Caulkins was found to be in possession of methamphetamine.

Caulkins was found to be on probation for Burglary I x3, Theft II x2, Vehicle Theft I and Assault IV. He also had a no-bail arrest warrant. He was additionally charged with Vehicle Theft I, Theft III, Failure to Stop at the Direction of a Peace Officer I, Misconduct Involving a Controlled Substance IV, and probation violation.

Caulkins was transported to Palmer and remanded to the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility.

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