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Arrests in Dillingham boat burglaries

Jesse Young, 25, and Kyle Rea, 22, are two of four suspects DPD believes stole from some 24 fishing boats in the PAF yard.

DILLINGHAM: Two of four men believed to be responsible for recent break-ins at the PAF boat yard were arrested Tuesday.

Kyle Rea, 22, was charged with misdemeanor theft and trespassing, and Jesse Young, 25, is facing a felony theft charge as well as misdemeanor theft and trespassing. Police are still investigating the involvement of a third man, and a fourth is a minor whose name cannot be released.

The burglaries occurred between mid-December and mid-January, according to DPD Chief Dan Pasquariello.

"The PAF watchman called us on six separate occasions to report that during his rounds he had discovered fishing vessels broken into," said Pasquariello.

Police believe that 24 vessels were burglarized during the six times the young men illegally entered the yard.

They apparently used the locked gate at the entrance of the PAF yard to get in.

"Although it's secure, there was enough space that they were able to squeeze through," said Pasquariello. "That space has since been repaired."

PAF surveillance cameras captured some of the activity, but the video wasn't entirely helpful.

"Most of the burglaries were during the hours of darkness, and since it's cold people were bundled up," said the Chief. "It took us a while to footage of an individual that we could identify."

Police eventually did identify one of the men and questioned him. Pasquariello said that suspect rolled on the other three men. Police took a search warrant to a dwelling at Bingman's apartments at least two of the men were living at and recovered some of the stolen items.

"The individuals charged were mainly after food, cigarettes, and other consumable items," said Pasquariello. "We also recovered DVDs, tools, knives, and other items that had fishing vessel names on them."

At arraignment, Rea and Young told the court they were living in an apartment with no heat or electricity, and both said they were unemployed.

Police did recover a Ruger .44 magnum handgun and some ammunition, which prompted the felony theft charge. A stainless steel 12 gauge shotgun reported stolen from one of the boats has not been recovered, and police are asking anyone who might have purchased that firearm in the past month to contact the department.

Pasquariello thinks more items may be reported stolen later, as most of the owners are not in town to physically inspect their vessels. Police took photographs of vessel interiors and contacted the owners they could get a hold of to see if they could tell what might be missing.

"We anticipate that come summertime, when fishermen return, we'll learn that other items have turned up missing," said Pasquariello.

Jesse Young and Kyle Rea were arraigned Wednesday at the Dillingham court. Both were emotional, apologetic, and appeared eager to take responsibility for their actions.

Police have not yet filed charges against the other two suspects.