Two men were indicted by a Sitka grand jury on Thursday (12-15-16), one for theft and another for assault.
Between November 21st and December 6th, Jeffrey J. Baxter, age 28, was allegedly captured on surveillance video breaking into the Sitka Tribe of Alaska offices on Katlian Street. According to the felony complaint, Baxter unlawfully entered the building twelve times wearing a mask. He was not an employee and did not have authorization to be there.
Video footage allegedly showed Baxter the building at various times, usually between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and entering the office where STA keeps bus driver deposits for the RIDE, the public transit system. He took cash from bus lock box and tray on six separate occasions. Each time, the cash value was less than $250. Using the footage, Ferguson was able match the defendant’s articles of clothing, particularly his shoes and jacket. After obtaining a search warrant of Baxter’s residence, Sitka Police found the jacket and shoes, along with 0.4 grams of methamphetamine, on December 8th.
The Sitka Grand Jury indicted Baxter with ten counts of burglary in the second degree, four counts of theft in the fourth degree, and one count of misconduct involving a controlled substance in the second degree. Baxter is currently being held in police custody.
The Grand Jury also re-indicted Brandon D. Ledbetter, age 34, on one count of assault in the second degree and one count of assault in the third degree. On the afternoon of August 12th, Ledbetter allegedly entered the Pioneer Bar and stabbed Patrick K. Parrish in the calf with a folding pocket knife during an altercation. Parrish was subsequently treated for a four inch laceration.
Ledbetter was previously indicted by the grand jury, but the court ordered the indictment dismissed after his defense successfully argued that police officers introduced hearsay into their testimony before the jury.
Ledbetter is currently being held in the Sitka jail pending $10,000 bail.
