A man facing charges of felony theft, armed robbery and assault in two separate cases was arrested last week for theft and burglary.
Cody D. Scroggins, 24, was arrested Thursday afternoon during a traffic stop, after an Alaska State Trooper spotted a chainsaw that had been reported stolen from a Nikiski property in his car’s back seat, according to a trooper affidavit filed with the court.
Scroggins was stopped near Traxinger Place in Nikiski for speeding through a 55-mile zone, troopers reported.
When the trooper pulled behind Scroggins’ stopped car, he saw Scroggins outside the car, walking away from a locked plastic storage case sitting along about six feet away from the car, according to the affidavit. Scroggins reportedly initially denied that the case — which had the initials “CDS” handwritten in silver paint marker on the outside — was his.
When the trooper opened the case — which the trooper decided to treat as abandoned property — he allegedly found a locked handgun safe engraved with words matching initials on keys on Scroggins key ring. Scroggins then admitted the gun case was his and that there were drugs inside, but wouldn’t let troopers open it, according to the affidavit.
Scroggins’ mother, who had arrived on the scene, then agreed to let troopers search her home for stolen goods that Scroggins may have hidden there, according to the affidavit. Troopers reportedly found an ATV that had been reported stolen from a Nikiski residence on her property. A search of a second property where Scroggins had allegedly stayed turned up paint supplies reported stolen by the owner of the chainsaw, according the affidavit.
Scroggins faces charges of second-degree theft, a class C felony, and second-degree burglary, a class C felony. Troopers expect to file additional charges of violating the conditions of release and misconduct involving a controlled substance, according to the affidavit. He was arraigned over the weekend and bail was set at $2,500 cash with the requirement of a third-party custodian.
The arrest is the third time in a little more than a month Scroggins has been arrested. On May 4, Scroggins was charged with armed robbery, theft and assault after allegedly holding a woman at gunpoint and dragging her from her truck during a dispute over a pitbull. On May 14, he was charged in a separate case for failure to stop at the direction of a police officer, a class C felony; and third-degree assault, a class C felony.
