A Juneau man was arrested Sunday as a fugitive from justice after escaping custody in Washington state, according to an Alaska State Troopers dispatch.
Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Juneau Post, pulled over a 1982 Chevrolet pickup Sunday near Safeway in Juneau for an equipment violation, according to the dispatch. Inside the car, they found Joshua Mitchell, 28, who had an outstanding warrant in Washington for escape, and took Mitchell to Lemon Creek Correctional Center.
Assistant District Attorney Amy Paige said during Mitchell’s court appearance Tuesday that Mitchell was on probation or parole when he violated his conditions of release by leaving Washington for Alaska. Mitchell has prior convictions in Washington, including multiple drug offenses, referred to in Washington as VUCSA (Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substance Act), according to online court records. In Alaska, he has had multiple arrests for driving with a suspended license.
When Mitchell appeared in court Tuesday afternoon, he denied that he was wrong in leaving Washington.
“How can they put out a charge for me that’s false?” Mitchell asked District Court Judge Thomas Nave. “They let me go from custody and I came up (to Juneau) to work.”
Mitchell said he had not yet found a job at the time of his arrest. He will be represented by Public Defender Deborah Macaulay, with his next hearing set for 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 15. Mitchell remains in custody, with bail set at $25,000 cash.
The court has 30 days to obtain an extradition warrant from both the governor of Washington and the governor of Alaska. If that doesn’t happen, Nave can extend that deadline an additional 60 days. If the warrants still haven’t been filed by the end of that extension, Mitchell can go free, as Nave explained Tuesday.
Stabbing suspect faces two felony charges
Juneau man Carl Liberty, Jr. was arraigned Tuesday on one second-degree assault charge and one charge of tampering with physical evidence.
Liberty, 27, was arrested Saturday in connection with a stabbing that put a 31-year-old man in the hospital. At 1:45 a.m. Saturday, Juneau Police Department officers responded to a disturbance in the 100 block of South Franklin Street and found the 31-year-old with multiple stab wounds. The victim was taken to Bartlett Regional Hospital and treated for serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Liberty was arrested soon afterward.
Nave explained that second-degree assault is a class B felony and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and a $100,000 fine. Tampering with physical evidence, Nave said, is a class C felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years and a fine of $50,000. Liberty will be represented by a public defender, and his bail is set at $5,000 cash.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at 523-2271 or alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @akmccarthy.
