Powell man arrested for trespassing at junkyard, theft

Kirk A. Ohman, 31, was also charged with three counts of defacing property, namely a Ford F-150 truck, a Ford Explorer SUV and a wooden fence, all belonging to the owner of the junkyard.

Ohman was allegedly caught in the act by Powell police around 10 p.m. on Dec. 30 of last year.

Powell Police Sgt. Sean Alquist had been conducting an extra patrol of a junkyard on E. Washington Street per the request of the business owner because of multiple thefts, the affidavit said.

During Alquist’s patrol, he saw a vehicle parked in the alley.

When Sgt. Dustin DelBiaggio arrived on the scene, Alquist entered the junkyard through an open gate while DelBiaggio watched the entrance to ensure nobody fled to the vehicle in the alleyway, the affidavit said.

Alquist saw a flashlight and movement on the southwest side of the junkyard, and DelBiaggio crouched behind a vehicle waiting for the subject to get closer.

“The subject came into my view, walking directly toward me,” DelBiaggio said in the affidavit. “Once the subject was approximately 20 feet from me, I illuminated the subject with my flashlight while pointing my firearm at him.”

DelBiaggio then announced, “Powell Police, Stop,” to which Ohman responded, “Oh God, I’m sorry” while lifting his hands, the affidavit said.

As Ohman put his hands in the air, he was holding a five gallon gas can in his left hand and a cordless drill in his right hand, the affidavit said.

As the police placed him in handcuffs, Ohman said, “it’s just some gas,” the affidavit said.

The officers then followed footprints in the snow that led to a red F-150 truck, where fuel was actively pouring from the gas tank into a gas can, the affidavit said.

“I observed a hole in the side of the gas tank ... which was approximately the same size as the drill bit in the drill [Ohman] was holding,” DelBiaggio wrote in the affidavit.

Officers found two more gas cans at the scene and several wooden boards that had been removed from the property’s fence, the affidavit said.

In an interview, Ohman said, “he was not stealing any [car] parts and that he was broke, had just started a new job and ‘needed some gas to go see my kids,’” the affidavit said.

He further admitted to drilling a hole in the gas tank, but explained it was his first time doing it, the affidavit said.

Ohman said he had also drilled a hole in the gas tank of a Ford Explorer parked beside the F-150, the affidavit said.

The estimated damage to the two vehicles and the amount of fuel stolen was less than $1,000, according to the affidavit.

DelBiaggio said there was probable cause showing Ohman “was in possession of burglary tools, trespassed onto private property, committed property damage to two separate vehicles and committed theft of fuel from each vehicle,” the affidavit said.

Ohman was additionally charged with another count of theft and one count of writing a false statement to a pawnbroker after police were informed on Jan. 7 that a stolen chainsaw had been pawned at the Northwest Trading Post.

In the affidavit, Ohman is alleged to have pawned the chainsaw for the person who stole it because he had been banned from selling anything at the trading post.

A Park County Sheriff’s Office deputy located the pawn ticket for the chainsaw, which had Ohman’s name written on it, the affidavit said.

Ohman remains an inmate in the Park County Detention Center on a $23,000 bond.