22-year old Ramey is accused of breaking into Stelling's, Teddy's, and stealing a truck Thursday. He is being held on $15k bail.
DILLINGHAM: "Against the peace and dignity of the State of Alaska..." read each of the seven charges Brendon E. Ramey was arraigned on Friday morning in Dillingham. Of the seven charges, four are felonies.
The police arrested 22-year old Ramey Thursday, after interviewing him as a suspect for the burglaries the community woke up to yesterday morning.
Ramey is accused of breaking into Stelling's Automotive on Wood River Road, Teddy's Convenience Store on Lake Road, and stealing a Delta Western truck that was parked at the Dillingham Hotel. The crimes are believed to have happened around 4:00am Thursday.
Ramey's best score of the night, according to police, was $300 in coins and $100 in cigarettes stolen from Teddy's. Rolled coins, candy, and soda were reported stolen from Stellings Automotive.
Damage was done at both locations. Stellings said it may cost more than $2500 to replace a broken window and fix a vending machine damaged by a pickaxe.
The stolen truck, owned by Delta Western but leased to an individual staying at the Dillingham Hotel, was found mid-morning near the Muklung Apartments. Some of the stolen items were still inside the truck, and other items were recovered throughout the day Thursday.
Ramey told police that he stole the truck first, then drove it to Teddy's and Stellings, breaking into both locations through windows, then drove back to an apartment.
On Thursday, as officers were trying to piece together events and had long since known about the $300 in stolen coins, they took a report that someone was at the Wells Fargo Bank trying to cash in a large plastic bag's worth of coins.
Ramey has already been in trouble with the law this year.
In May, he broke into the Bristol Eagle restaurant at the boat harbor and made off with a few hundred dollars in cash. Surveillance video documented the whole episode, and Ramey was arrested by police within the day. In a plea bargain with the prosecutor, Ramey, who not asked for a lawyer, pleaded guilty and was in jail serving a two month sentence within a week of the crime.
Not two days after he was released in July, Ramey was back in custody after he was caught smoking marijuana, a violation of his probation. He spent another 45 days in jail, and was released in late August.
In court Friday, Ramey entered not guilty pleas on all charges and asked to be assigned a public defender.
Each of the four felonies carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The other three misdemeanors have maximum sentences of between 90 days to one year. Authorities will also attempt to revoke Ramey's probation from the May arrest.
Judge Patricia Douglass agreed to the state’s request that Ramey be held in custody on $15,000 cash bail. He’ll also need a court-approved third party custodian to be released before his trial.
