A man stole the wheels from a parked plane in Wasilla this week — but was caught when he tried to sell them online, troopers said.
Troopers responded to the theft near Bogard Road at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to a dispatch posted that evening.
"Investigation revealed someone had stolen the bushwheels off of a 1950 Piper PA-20 and left the plane on blocks," troopers wrote. "The suspect had caused significant damage to the aircraft during the theft."
When an internet posting offering the wheels for sale was spotted and a sale was arranged by an unspecified party, troopers went to the Wasilla McDonald's on the Parks Highway, where the deal was set to take place, the dispatch said.
"Troopers located the wheels in a gray Pontiac G6 sedan and contacted the occupants," troopers wrote. "Further investigation revealed Donney S. Carlson, age 22 of Willow, was in possession of the wheels."
Carlson was arrested on charges of theft and criminal mischief, as well as a warrant on another count of theft. Another man in the car, 28-year-old Wasilla resident Justin A. Jacobsen, was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear in court on a felony DUI charge.
Both men were held at the Mat-Su Pretrial Facility with court-approved third-party custodians required for their release. Carlson's bail was set at $12,500; Jacobsen's at $5,000.