A Juneau man has been indicted by a grand jury for allegedly stealing a truck and eluding officers.
William Eugene Fleming, 22, faces felony charges of vehicle theft and failing to stop for an officer in connection with the April 30 incident.
Fleming allegedly stole a pickup truck with a flatbed trailer from a construction site near Shaune Drive in the Lemon Creek area and drove it to near the end of North Douglas Highway with as many as three patrol cars in pursuit.
According to complaints filed by Juneau Police Officer James Dooley, Fleming was observed swerving out of his lane, driving into the median or into oncoming lanes, nearly hitting other vehicles, running a red light, and driving 75 mph in a 45 mph zone.
Dooley spotted the pickup near Egan and Channel Drives, and attempted to use his emergency lights, sirens and loudspeaker to get Fleming to stop during the 10-mile pursuit.
When the truck went off the road and into a ditch at False Outer Point, Dooley said Fleming pressed the accelerator and refused to come out of the truck as instructed. After officers pulled him out of the cab, they determined that Fleming had glassy eyes, slack expression, slurred and unintelligible speech, and poor balance.
Fleming allegedly told officers that he drank half a bottle of whiskey at about 3 o’clock that afternoon, about 6 hours before the pursuit. Dooley said Fleming admitted stealing the truck and driving while intoxicated.
Fleming also faces a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence. He’s scheduled to be arraigned in Juneau Superior Court on May 19.
The Ford F-150 pickup and the flatbed trailer were valued by their owner at $85,000.
In their initial statement about the chase, Juneau police did not identify the driver or specify that the pickup was towing a flatbed trailer when it was stolen.
