A man drove a truck into three Ketchikan businesses early this morning, causing over $90,000 dollars of damage. 48-year-old Dale Withem of Ketchikan is being charged with five felonies as the driver.
Ketchikan Police Department responded to a report of a man driving intentionally through the glass front doors of McDonald’s just after midnight, according to initial charging documents. Police say that at the scene, Withem admitted to an officer that he crashed the vehicle into the front doors of the McDonald’s as well as nearby Madison Lumber and Hardware.
The officer then drove to Madison and found the business’ front door, door frame and structural walls pushed in from the crash.
A video obtained by police also showed the defendant driving into the front glass doors of Tongass Marine Store.
Further investigation found the pickup truck Withem was driving was stolen.
Withem’s arraignment hearing was this morning at the Ketchikan Courthouse. He is being charged with five Class C felonies — four counts of criminal mischief in the third degree and one count of vehicle theft in the first degree.
The investigation is ongoing.
