A Homer man allegedly stole more than $85,000 worth of frozen seafood from Tanner’s Alaskan Seafood in Ninilchik last week. Alaska State Troopers arrested 53-year-old Garrett Fitzgerald of Homer in Soldotna Friday.
According to a trooper dispatch, Fitzgerald allegedly entered the business in the early morning hours of Aug. 22 to steal $400, food and over $85,000 worth of fish and crab from the freezer.
Jason Tanner is the owner of Tanner’s Alaskan Seafood. He said so far, little has been recovered.
“When we caught him Friday morning he had roughly 500 pounds of halibut on his premises and another freezer in the back of his truck,” he said. “Nearly 90 percent of it or so roughly was unpackaged in either garbage bags or liner bags or some Ziploc bags. So it was all contaminated everything he opened of course got contaminated.”
Tanner said most of the fish is unable to be sold and he estimates roughly $70,000 worth of fish has yet to be recovered.
"I’m hoping the king crab and the rest of my product that he stole are in a freezer somewhere held at the right temperatures to where it’s still a good product,” he said. “Because if he has it in some freezer that doesn't hold very cold, the products are not going to keep its glaze on the crab and it's not going to keep its integrity on the frozen stuff.”
Troopers suspect another person was involved in the burglary and say the investigation is ongoing. Fitzgerald was charged with burglary and theft.
