Crime & Courts

Troopers: Mallet-wielding phone thief caught by K-9 in Fairbanks

A Fairbanks man wielding a mallet who stole a phone from a woman Monday didn't get far before he was sniffed out by a K-9 unit, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers said in a dispatch that the call resulting in the arrest of 21-year-old Derek Forsythe came in at about noon Monday, from a home where he was trying to break in.

"Derek was able to force his way into the residence and then threatened to assault an elderly woman with a mallet," troopers wrote. "Once troopers arrived, Derek fled to a nearby abandoned trailer with the victim's cellphone and hid in the crawl space. Derek was ultimately apprehended with the use of Alaska State Trooper K-9 Skippy."

Forsythe was arrested on third-degree counts of domestic-violence assault and theft, as well as fourth-degree criminal mischief. After being cleared by medics, he was taken to the Fairbanks Correctional Center, where an online inmate database listed him as still in custody early Tuesday.

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