DILLINGHAM: Brandon A. Rush, 19, of Naknek, is accused of stealing diesel fuel from the Glacier Construction yard at Leader Creek in Naknek late on December 16, then leading a police officer on a wild car chase.
Bristol Bay Borough police said that Rush refused to pull his Chevy truck over, and turned off his headlights while driving recklessly on the dark night, endangering others. Eventually Rush tore across a field thick with alders to get away from an officer in pursuit.
Two employees caught Rush stealing the diesel fuel at the Glacier Construction yard at about 10:00 p.m., according to police. Rush was pumping from a storage tank into a 55 gallon drum in the back of his truck. When the employees tried to stop him, police say Rush side swiped their vehicle and rammed several others as he fled the scene.
The employees followed him out to the Alaska Peninsula Highway and called the police dispatch, and an officer joined chase near the Wolverine Drive intersection. The officer said he followed Rush, who was driving recklessly with his lights off, for the next four miles before he got got away.
The officer said he recognized Rush behind the wheel, and the 19-year-old was eventually arrested. Police charged him with theft in the third degree, two counts of assault in the third degree, reckless driving, failure to stop at the direction of a peace officer.
The prosecutor’s office says it will pursue felony indictments for the two counts of assault and for failing to stop. The other charges are misdemeanors. A pre-indictment hearing is scheduled Friday afternoon in Naknek.
Rush has been in custody since his arrest. He’s also still facing DUI, reckless driving, and criminal mischief charges from another incident from last July.